Content area
Full text
Both alcohol use and stress appear to increase blood pressure. In addition, stress is associated with increased alcohol use. To investigate these relationships, researchers interviewed representative samples of the black and non-black adult household populations in Erie County, New York, in 1986, 1989, and 1993. The results support a causal relationship between stress and alcohol use and point to a number of factors that influence this relationship. Significant relationships between changes in alcohol use and blood pressure were also found. Although the researchers found little evidence for a direct effect of stress on blood pressure, stress related to family life, anxiety, and depression was associated with an increased risk for hypertension. KEY WORDS: African American; blood pressure; AOD (alcohol or other drug) use; psychological stress; New York; hypertensive disorder; emotional and psychiatric depression; anxiety state; coping skills; racial differences; gender differences; literature review; longitudinal study; survey
Epidemiologic studies strongly support the hypothesis that regular alcohol use above a poorly defined threshold is related to elevated blood pressure (Klatsky 1995). Other theories suggest that psychological stress affects hormone levels that are associated with elevated blood pressure (Henry et al. 1995). However, researchers believe that people increase their alcohol use to relieve tension or depression caused by exposure to stress and to things that cause stress (i.e., stressors). Thus, a key question to consider is the extent to which high blood pressure associated with psychological stress can be explained by increased alcohol use. Because the prevalence of hypertension is higher among blacks than among other ethnic groups, we were especially interested in determining whether racial differences influence the effects of stress and alcohol use on blood pressure.
Few longitudinal studies have examined factors influencing blood pressure among blacks, and no longitudinal studies have examined the joint effects of stress and alcohol use on blood pressure. Longitudinal studies, which follow participants over time to determine the sequence of events under investigation, are critical to establishing causal relationships between risk factors and outcomes.
This article summarizes findings from a longitudinal study funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) entitled Stress, Race, and Alcohol Use in a Household Population. The study was designed to examine the influence of stress and alcohol use on blood pressure...