Effects of Perceived Racism and Anger Inhibition on Ambulatory Blood Pressure in African Americans

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Abstract
Hypertension is more prevalent in African Americans compared with Americans of European descent. Preliminary evidence indicates that perceived racism may play a role in elevated blood pressure in African Americans. The present study examined whether perceived racism was associated with higher ambulatory blood pressure measured during daily life. A potential contributing role for anger inhibition was also evaluated. Twenty-four–hour ABP was obtained from 69 African American men and women with normal or mildly elevated blood pressure. ABP was averaged over waking and sleep periods, and clinic BP was also assessed. Perceived racism and anger expression were measured using self-report questionnaires. Greater perceived racism was related to higher ABP during waking hours for SBP (p p Perceived racism and anger inhibition are independently related to higher ABP. Both may contribute to the incidence of hypertension and hypertensive-related diseases observed in African Americans.