Adaptive defense use and resting blood pressure in a population-based sample.

Abstract Objective There is an accumulating body of research related to the psychosomatic study of blood pressure. One variable that has received attention is defense use. We examined the relation between defense use and blood pressure in men and women of different ages. Methods A random sample of 667 participants was selected from a population-based study. Resting blood pressure was obtained, and each participant was rated for defense use by a trained observer using Defense-Q. An Adaptive Defense Profile (ADP) score was calculated for each participant, and this score was related to blood pressure. Results Regression analyses revealed a significant main effect for the ADP score for both diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Those persons with higher ADP scores had lower diastolic and systolic blood pressure. As well, a significant Age×Sex×ADP score interaction was found for diastolic blood pressure. Older women with a less ADP score had higher diastolic blood pressure. Conclusion These findings suggest the continued investigation of defense use and blood pressure.