Distress tolerance moderates the relationship between anger experience and elevated blood pressure

Abstract

Previous studies have linked anger to elevated blood pressure. However, the nature of the association between anger and elevated blood pressure is unclear. This study is aimed at investigating the moderating effect of distress tolerance on the relationship between anger experience and elevated blood pressure. A total of 310 patients drawn from a university teaching hospital in southeast Nigeria participated in this study. They comprised 156 men and 154 women who were aged between 20 and 80 years (mean age = 50.45). Participants responded to the measures of distress tolerance and Novaco Anger Inventory—Short Form. The blood pressures of the participants were obtained with sphygmomanometer and stethoscope. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that anger experience significantly predicted both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The results also showed that distress tolerance was a significant predictor of systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Distress tolerance moderated the relationship between anger experience and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The relationships between anger and systolic and diastolic pressure were stronger for patients with low distress tolerance compared to patients with high distress tolerance. It is recommended that psychological interventions aimed at increasing people’s level of distress tolerance are emphasized in the management of elevated blood pressure.