A Study of Neuroticism and Casual Arterial Blood Pressure*

Abstract

Tests of neuroticism were given to a random sample of 167 individuals from a geographically defined population, whose blood pressures had been measured under standard conditions. No significant correlation was found between blood pressure and a combined test score for neuroticism except in the 41–50 age group. In this group there was a significant correlation between systolic blood pressure and the combined test score, but the numbers were small and the correlation could have been fortuitous.A group of 56 out‐patient neurotics made significantly higher scores on the combine measure than did the random sample. A group of 43 out‐patients with diastolic blood pressures of more than 100 mm Hg (in whom secondary hypertension was not suspected) also made significantly higher scores than the random sample. Since, in most age groups, the correlation between blood pressure and neuroticism was low, it is possible that the data could have resulted from selection of patients, probably by the general practitioner. Such selection could have had the effect of presenting to the hospital only those hypertensives who also had high neuroticism scores.