Wirtz

Fakultäten » Philosophische Fakultät » Psychologisches Institut » Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie » Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ehlert » Wirtz

Completed research project

Title / Titel	Psychobiological factors of stress reactivity in essential hypertension
PDF	Abstract (PDF, 14 KB)
Summary / Zusammenfassung	Essential hypertension ranks among the strongest cardiovascular risk factors. The mechanisms that link hypertension with increased incidence of atherosclerosis are not fully understood. There is evidence suggesting that systemic hypertension is characterized by physiological hyperreactivity to psychosocial stressors. Compared to normotensive controls, hypertensive individuals showed exaggerated responses of cardiovascular parameters as well as of stress hormones like cortisol and catecholamines. The aim of this study was to investigate psychological correlates of physiological stress reactivity to acute psychosocial stress in unmedicated, otherwise healthy, middle-aged hypertensive men, compared with age-matched normotensive controls. The psychological correlates of interest were social support, emotion regulation, and cognitive appraisal of the stressful situation. Moreover, we investigated whether hypertensives show a hyperreactivity in further physiological parameters associated with elevated cardiovascular risk. We measured blood lipids, stress-hemoconcentration as well as coagulation activity and fibrinolysis.
Publications / Publikationen	Wirtz, P.H., Von Känel, R., Mohiyeddini, C., Emini, L., Ruedisueli, K., Groessbauer, S. & Ehlert, U. (2006). Low social support and poor emotional regulation are associated with increased stress hormone reactivity to mental stress in systemic hypertension. J Clin Endocrinol and Metab 2006; 91(10):3857-3865. Wirtz, P.H., Ehlert, U., Emini, L., Ruedisueli, K., Groessbauer, S. & Von Känel, R. (2006). The role of stress hormones in the relationship between systemic hypertension and the hypercoagulable state. J Hypertens 2006;24(12):2409-16. Wirtz, P.H., Ehlert, U., Emini, L., Ruedisueli, K., Groessbauer, S. & Von Känel, R. (in press). Procoagulant stress reactivity and recovery in apparently healthy men with systolic and diastolic hypertension. J Psychosom Res.
Keywords / Suchbegriffe	Systemic hypertension, stress reactivity, social support, emotional regulation, cognitive appraisal, blood lipids, hemoconcentration, coagulation, fibrinolysis
Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte	Dr. Petra H. Wirtz (Project Leader) pwirtz@psychologie.uzh.ch Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ehlert ehlertu@klipsy.uzh.ch
Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch	Forschungskredit der Universität Zürich
In collaboration with / In Zusammenarbeit mit	Prof. Dr. Roland von Känel, Department of General Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Berne Switzerland
Duration of Project / Projektdauer	Dec 2003 to Dec 2004