The Moderated Mediation Effect of Age and Relaxation on the Relationship between the Type A Behavior Pattern and Blood Pressure in South Korea

Although it is generally known that the type A behavior pattern (TABP) is associated with high blood pressure, recent studies have not consistently supported this association. Therefore, it is important to determine which factors moderate and mediate this relationship. The purpose of this study was to verify the moderated mediation effect of age and relaxation in the relationship between TABP and high blood pressure among middle-aged adults in South Korea. This study utilized data from the Korea Health and Genome Study (KHGS) supported by the Korea National Institute of Health. The participants in the present study were 10,022 Korean adults aged 40 to 69. To identify the conditional indirect effect of TABP on blood pressure through relaxation, with a consideration of age, a moderated mediation model using SPSS PROCESS macro 3.10 was applied. As is generally known, TABP was associated with high blood pressure, but its relevance was reversed through relaxation. Moreover, this relationship was moderated by age, which is known to be the most powerful predictor of high blood pressure. The lower age group with TABP exhibited a higher relaxation, whereas the higher age group with TABP demonstrated a lower relaxation. The findings demonstrate the need for relaxation education, stress management, or counseling to help individuals recognize their behavior patterns and strengthen the willingness and motivation for relaxation, especially among elderly people with TABP, in order to manage their blood pressure effectively.