| Description |
Research indicates that individual differences in aspects of negative affect are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Further, few studies have examined effects of both the individual's own personality characteristics (i.e., actor effects) and the effects of a spouse's personality (i.e., partner effects), and scant research has adequately addressed the issue of general negative affect vs. isolated vs. partialled correlated personality traits. This study examined associations of ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) and self-report personality measures of composite (NA) and individual levels of anxiety, anger, and depression in 94 married couples. For actor effects, higher levels of NA predicted higher ambulatory systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) for both genders (association in men's SBP was borderline significant). In isolated analyses of individual traits, anxiety predicted lower DBP in men but higher DBP in women. Depression similarly predicted higher women's SBP and DBP. In partialled analyses, the association of DBP with anxiety was significant in men, but not women. The associations of depression with SBP and with DBP were significant in women, but not men. Interestingly, a significant positive association emerged between anger and men's SBP. Analyses of partner effects revealed consistent gender differences. Higher partner levels of NA and individual traits significantly predicted higher SBP and DBP in men, but lower SBP and DBP in women. In partialled analyses of partner traits, parallel associations were significant for only wives' anger in men and husbands' anxiety and anger women. In sum, actor and partner levels of NA and anxiety, anger, and depression are related to ABP, but associations with individual traits vary when traits are examined as a composite score, in isolation vs. in combination. Associations of actor and partner anxiety, anger, and depression with ABP demonstrate the importance of interpersonal processes in understanding psychosocial risk. However, a well-defined and thorough statistical conceptualization of these traits in future research will be necessary. |
