Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-p566r Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-27T06:04:12.860Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Hypertension labelling, life events and psychological well-being

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Torbjørn Moum*
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo; Institute of Applied Social Research, Oslo; Psychiatric Clinic VIA, Ullevaal Hospital, Oslo; National Institute of Public Health, Verdal, Norway
Siri Næss
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo; Institute of Applied Social Research, Oslo; Psychiatric Clinic VIA, Ullevaal Hospital, Oslo; National Institute of Public Health, Verdal, Norway
Tom Sørensen
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo; Institute of Applied Social Research, Oslo; Psychiatric Clinic VIA, Ullevaal Hospital, Oslo; National Institute of Public Health, Verdal, Norway
Kristian Tambs
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo; Institute of Applied Social Research, Oslo; Psychiatric Clinic VIA, Ullevaal Hospital, Oslo; National Institute of Public Health, Verdal, Norway
Jostein Holmen
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo; Institute of Applied Social Research, Oslo; Psychiatric Clinic VIA, Ullevaal Hospital, Oslo; National Institute of Public Health, Verdal, Norway
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr Torbjorn Mourn, Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, PO Box 1111, Blindern, 0317 Oslo 3, Norway.

Synopsis

Almost all previous studies of the psychological sequelae of hypertension labelling have lacked a prospective, longitudinal design which could allow for causal interpretations. The present study relies on questionnaire data from a hypertension screening carried out on the entire adult population of a medium-sized, Norwegian county (total number of participants = 74977). ‘Labelled’ individuals, i.e. previously unaware hypertensives (N = 173), false positives (N = 233), and patients in need of continued BP control (N = 474) have been followed up after 1–3 years, and comparisons are made with aware hypertensives (N = 206), patients previously treated for hypertension (N = 118), and a random sample of normotensives (N = 2326). ‘Pre-labelling’, baseline measures of subjective well-being had been carried out on all comparison groups in connection with the screening. Changes in psychological well-being are not significantly related to labelling or BP-status. However, there is a deterioration in psychological well-being among participants who have been subjected to one or more negative life events/stresses (other than labelling) in the preceding 12 months.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alderman, M. H. & Davis, T. K. (1976). Hypertension control at the worksite. Journal of Occupational Medicine 18, 793796.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alderman, M. H., Charlson, M. E. & Melcher, L. A. (1981). Labelling and absenteeism: the Massachusetts mutual experience. Clinical and Investigative Medicine 4, 165171.Google ScholarPubMed
Andrews, F. M. & Robinson, J. P. (1990). Measures of subjective well-being. In Measures of Personality and Social Psychological Attitudes (ed. Robinson, J. P., Shaver, P. R. and Wrightman, L. S.). Academic Press: New York.Google Scholar
Bloom, J. R. & Monterossa, S. (1981). Hypertension labelling and sense of well-being. American Journal of Public Health 71, 12281232.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bryant, F. B. & Veroff, J. (1984). Dimensions of subjective mental health in American men and women. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 25, 116135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Central Bureau of Statistics of Norway (1987). Health Survey 1985. Oslo.Google Scholar
Cohen, J. & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied Multiple Regression/ Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Erlbaum: Hillsdale.Google Scholar
Derogatis, L. R., Lipman, R. S., Richels, E. H., Uhlenhulh, E. H. & Covi, L. (1974). The Hopkins Symptom Check List (HSCL). A self-report symptom inventory. Behavioral Science 19, 115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin 74, 6880.Google Scholar
Dohrenwend, B. S., Dohrenwend, B. P., Dodson, M. & Shrout, P. E. (1984). Symptoms, hassles, social supports, and life events: problems of confounded measures. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 93, 222230.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fergusson, D. M. & Horwood, L. J. (1984). Life events and depression in women: a structural equation model. Psychological Medicine 14, 881889.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gill, J. S. & Beevers, D. G. (1983). Hypertension and wellbeing. British Medical Journal 287, 14901491.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haynes, R. B., Sackett, D. L., Taylor, D. W., Gibson, E. S. & Johnson, A. L. (1978). Increased absenteeism from work after detection and labelling of hypertensive patients. New England Journal of Medicine 29, 741744.Google Scholar
Heady, B., Glowacki, T., Holmstrom, E. & Wearing, A. (1985). Modelling change in perceived quality of life (PQOL). Social Indicators Research 17, 267298.Google Scholar
Hollandsworth, J. G. (1988). Evaluating the impact of medical treatment on the quality of life: a 5-year update. Social Sciences and Medicine 26, 425434.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holmen, J. (1983). Trøkket, trimmen og tablettan (The pressure, keeping fit, and the pills). Report no. 10–83. National Institute of Public Health: Oslo.Google Scholar
Holmen, J., Forsén, L., Skjerve, K, Gorseth, M., Midthjell, K. & Oseland, A. (1989). Møter-møter ikke? (Attenders and nonattenders). Report no. 5–89. National Institute of Public Health: Oslo.Google Scholar
Holmes, T. H. & Rahe, R. H. (1967). The social readjustment rating scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 11, 213218.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kessler, R. C. (1983). Methodological issues in the study of psychosocial stress. In Psychosocial Stress: Trends in Theory and Research (ed. Kaplan, H. B.), pp. 267341. Academic Press: New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lin, N. & Ensel, W. M. (1989). Life stress and health: stressors and resources. American Sociological Review 54, 382399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Macdonald, L. A., Sackett, D. L., Haynes, R. B. & Taylor, D. W. (1984). Labelling in hypertension: a review of the behavioural and psychological consequences. Journal of Chronic Diseases 37, 933942.Google Scholar
Maddi, S. R., Bartone, P. T. & Puccetti, M. C. (1987). Stressful events are indeed a factor in physical illness: reply to Schroeder and Costa (1984). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 52, 833843.Google Scholar
Mann, A. (1984). Hypertension: psychological aspects and diagnostic impact in a clinical trial. Psychological Medicine Monograph Supplement 5, 135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mastekaasa, A. & Kaasa, S. (1989). Measurement error and research design: a note on the utility of panel data in quality of life research. Social Indicators Research 21, 315335.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masuda, M. & Holmes, T. H. (1978). Life events: perceptions and frequencies. Psychosomatic Medicine 40, 236261.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Milne, B. J., Logan, A. G. & Flanagan, P. T. (1984). Alterations in health perception and lifestyle in created hypertensives. Journal of Chronic Diseases 37, 417423.Google Scholar
Mirowsky, J. & Ross, C. E. (1986). Social patterns of distress. Annual Review of Sociology 12, 2345.Google Scholar
Monk, M. (1981). Blood pressure awareness and psychological well-being in the health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Clinical and Investigative Medicine 4, 183190.Google ScholarPubMed
Mossey, J. M. (1981). Psychosocial consequences of labelling in hypertension. Clinical and Investigative Medicine 4, 201207.Google Scholar
Moum, T. (1988). Yea-saying and mood-of-the-day effects in self-reported quality of life. Social Indicators Research 20, 117139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norris, F. H. & Murrell, S. A. (1987). Transitory impact of life-event stress on psychological symptoms in older adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 28, 197211.Google Scholar
Pearlin, L. I. (1989). The sociological study of stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 30, 241256.Google Scholar
Polk, B. F., Harlan, L. C., Cooper, S. P., Stromer, M., Ignatius, J., Mull, H. & Blaszkowski, T. P. (1984). Disability days associated with detection and treatment in a hypertension program. American Journal of Epidemiology 119, 4453.Google Scholar
Rudd, P., Price, M. G., Graham, L. E., Fortmann, S. P., Beilstein, B., Bacchetti, P. & Tarbell, S. V. (1983). Absenteeism and psychosocial dysfunction after hypertensive screening (abstr.). Clinical Research 31, 303A.Google Scholar
Rudd, P., Price, M. G., Graham, L. E., Beilstein, B. A., Tarbell, S. J. H., Bacchetti, P. & Fortmann, S. P. (1986). Consequences of worksite hypertension screening. American Journal of Medicine 80, 853860.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sackett, D. L. (1981). A synthesis and some recommendations for future research. Clinical and Investigative Medicine 4, 221225.Google ScholarPubMed
Sarason, I. G., Johnson, J. H. & Siegel, J. M. (1978). Assessing the impact of life changes: development of the Life Experiences Survey. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 46, 932946.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schroeder, D. H. & Costa, P. T. (1984). Influence of life event stress on physical illness: substantive effects or methodological flaws? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 46, 853863.Google Scholar
Soghikian, K., Fallick-Hunter, E. M., Ury, H. K. & Fisher, A. A. (1981). The effect of high blood pressure awareness and treatment on emotional well-being. Clinical and Investigative Medicine 4, 191196.Google Scholar
Taylor, D. W., Haynes, R. B., Sackett, D. L. & Gibson, E. S. (1981). Longterm follow-up of absenteeism among working men following the detection and treatment of their hypertension. Clinical and Investigative Medicine 4, 173177.Google Scholar
Thoits, P. A. (1981). Undesirable life events and psychophysiological distress: a problem of operational confounding. American Sociological Review 46, 97109.Google Scholar
Thoits, P. A. (1983). Dimensions of life events that influence psychological distress: an evaluation and synthesis of the literature. In Psychological Stress: Trends in Theory and Research (ed. Kaplan, H. B.), pp. 33103. Academic Press: New York.Google Scholar
Westholm, A. (1987). Measurement error in causal analysis of panel data: attenuated versus inflated relationships. Quality & Quantity 21, 320.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeller, R. A. & Carmines, E. G. (1980). Measurement in the Social Sciences. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.Google Scholar