Introduction:
Latina women are more likely than non-Latina White women to have uncontrolled and undertreated hypertension. Prior research suggests greater exposure to traumatic experiences (such as interpersonal violence) is associated with elevated blood pressure and higher cardiovascular disease risk in women. However, few studies have investigated these associations among Latina women, a population that is at increased risk for hypertension. The purpose of this pilot study was to fill knowledge gaps by examining the associations of lifetime trauma (including childhood and adulthood) with blood pressure in middle-aged and older Latinas.
Hypothesis:
We assessed the hypothesis that lifetime trauma is associated with elevated blood pressure in middle-aged and older Latinas.
Methods:
Participants were recruited from an existing study in New York City called the Washington Heights/Inwood Comparative Effectiveness Research Project. Data collection consisted of a questionnaire administered by a research coordinator and in-office assessment of two blood pressure readings using recommended guidelines. The average systolic and diastolic blood pressures were calculated from these two measurements. Lifetime trauma was assessed with the Life Events Checklist which assesses 17 potentially traumatic experiences. We summed responses to the Life Events Checklist to create a count of lifetime trauma. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were assessed with the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version that assess presence and severity of 17 PTSD symptoms in the last month. We used linear regression models to separately examine the associations of lifetime trauma with systolic and diastolic blood pressure adjusted for demographic characteristics, health behaviors, PTSD symptoms, sociocultural factors (such as discrimination and acculturation).
Results:
The final sample included 50 Latina women (ages 42-77, mean=63.1 [9.7]). All women reported at least one traumatic experience with an average of 4.8 traumatic experiences in their lifetimes (range 1-10). A higher count of lifetime trauma (B [SE] = 5.56 [2.63], p = 0.04) was positively associated with greater systolic blood pressure in adjusted regression models. Although women who reported a higher count of lifetime trauma had higher diastolic blood pressure, this association was not statistically significant (B [SE] = 2.14 [1.67], p = 0.21).
Conclusion:
Findings indicate a higher count of lifetime trauma is associated with elevations in systolic blood pressure among Latina women. This is consistent with results of studies that have examined associations of lifetime trauma with blood pressure among women in the general population. There is a need for larger studies that incorporate longitudinal designs to investigate the associations of trauma and other sociocultural factors with blood pressure among Latina women.
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