Coping with stress and personality: A study in pregnancies complicated by hypertension

The Mediation Effect of Coping Strategies between Personality and Blood Pressure in Pregnancy Complicated by Hypertension

Background: Hypertension is the most common medical condition during pregnancy. Hypertensive disorders are associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes for both mother and fetus. This study examined the role played by personality and coping strategies in relation to blood pressure levels during pregnancy. The specific goal was to study whether coping strategies can mediate the effect of personality in pregnant women with hypertension. Methods: A sample of 351 pregnant women was enlisted, encompassing 192 pregnancies complicated by hypertension. This is a cross-sectional study where personality traits were measured by the five-factor model and coping was evaluated by Jalowiec’s coping inventory scale. Results: Personality can partially predict systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Openness to experience trait is inversely correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Conversely, emotion-focused coping directly correlated with blood pressure levels. Systolic (β = −0.14; p < 0.05) and diastolic (β = −0.15; p < 0.05) blood pressure were also predicted by openness to experience. Conclusions: It is recommended to reinforce the development of coping strategies which focus more on the problem than on the emotion, avoiding detrimental effects of emotional coping in blood pressure levels during pregnancy.