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Do chronic psychological stressors accelerate the progress of cardiovascular disease?
Author(s) -
Goble Alan,
Le Grande Michael
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
stress and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1532-2998
pISSN - 1532-3005
DOI - 10.1002/smi.1202
Subject(s) - stressor , negative affectivity , psychology , extraversion and introversion , personality , disease , affect (linguistics) , type d personality , clinical psychology , depression (economics) , myocardial infarction , medicine , big five personality traits , psychiatry , social psychology , macroeconomics , communication , economics
This critical review discusses available evidence concerning whether chronic psychological stressors affect the progress of cardiovascular disease. Emphasis is placed upon prospective cohort studies. The report largely reflects comprehensive reviews by others, but also discusses recent empirical research attempting to understand the basis for conflicting conclusions. The role of stressors is reviewed in the framework of possible personality features. It is probable that personality differences affect behavioural responses to stressors in a subset of subjects prone to introversion and negative affectivity. It is also probable that psychological depression is a factor inducing adverse outcomes including death and acute myocardial infarction. We remain unable to assert a definite cause and effect relationship between some stressors such as occupational characteristics. There appears to be sufficient evidence to suggest that psychological depression as a response to life's stressors may well accelerate the progress of cardiovascular disease. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.