Effects of personality, stress and lifestyle on hypertension: An Australian twin study

Abstract

This study investigated the association of personality, stress and lifestyle with self-reported hypertension (validated by actual use of antihypertensive medication, and separately by cross-twin reporting). Subjects were 4870 female and 2746 male twins from the 1980-1982 Australian Twin Registry. Personality and stress variables were measured by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and the Delusions-Symptoms-States Inventory. Alcohol intake, cigarette consumption and monthly exercise activity represented lifestyle variables. Hypothesis 1 predicted that predominant personality types among hypertensives are neurotic introverts and extraverts low on psychoticism; Hypothesis 2, that personality..