Browsing by discipline "Terveyspsykologia"

Objective: Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world and elevated blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Health behavior such as alcohol use, smoking and physical activity as well as obesity are known to affect the risk for cardiovascular disease. Also temperament has been shown to be associated with the risk for cardiovascular disease in numerous studies. The exact pathway through which the association between temperament and the risk for cardiovascular disease is mediated is so far unknown. Temperament has been shown to be associated with elevated blood pressure but not much research on the subject has yet been conducted. The aim of this study was to examine if temperament is associated with elevated blood pressure, which factors mediate the association and how they mediate it. Methods: The participants of the study were from The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (CRYFS) and the data from the follow-up carried out in 2007. The subjects were divided into groups of elevated blood pressure and normal blood pressure according to their blood pressure levels. Temperament was assessed using a self-report form of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-9) which measures the temperament traits of Cloninger's psychobiological theory - novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence and persistence. Concerning mediating variables the subjects were asked to answer questions about their alcohol use, smoking and physical activity. Body mass index was calculated from measures of weight and height. Logistic regression and correlation analyses were used for the analyses. Results and conclusions: A high level of reward dependence was related to a lower risk for elevated blood pressure. Two health behavior variables, higher level of alcohol use and greater body mass index were related to an increased risk. A weak association between a higher level of persistence and a lower level of blood pressure was also found. The association between reward dependence and elevated blood pressure showed evidence for being independent of the health behavior variables. Behavioral styles based on temperament are suggested as the mediating mechanism behind the association. For example behavioral styles could affect a person's tendency to seek medical help and health care. The concept of personalized health care expanded with temperament related information should be considered as a valuable potential asset for preventive health care in the future.