Perseverative Cognition as a Mediator Between Personality Traits and Blood Pressure

PURPOSE: Several authors link hypertension with psychological dispositions such as stress, personality, and anxiety, some propose that stress is not enough to explain arterial hypertension and others propose the perseverative cognition model to explain. The aim of this study was to relate personality traits and blood pressure profile of a group of workers, examining the results of perseverative cognition as a possible mediating variable concerning blood pressure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional design study, with a sample of 76 employees of a Colombian university. The NEO-FFI, RRS, and blood pressure measurement instruments were applied; data were reviewed through correlation and mediation analysis. RESULTS: We found evidence of association between neuroticism and perseverative cognition (rho=0.42 with brooding; rho =0.32 with reflection), but no evidence about mediation of perseverative cognition between personality and blood pressure. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to keep researching the mechanisms related to the occurrence of hypertension.