Journal
PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE
Volume 72, Issue 1, Pages 16-19Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181c4fca1
Keywords
generalized anxiety disorder; major depressive disorder; comorbidity; hypertension; veterans
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Funding
- National Center for Environmental Health, Atlanta, Georgia
- MRC
- Chief Scientist Office at the Scottish Government Health Directorates
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Economic and Social Research Council
- University of Edinburgh
- MRC [MC_UP_A620_1015, MC_U130059821] Funding Source: UKRI
- Medical Research Council [MC_U130059821, MC_UP_A620_1015, U1475000002, G0700704B] Funding Source: researchfish
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Objective: To examine the cross-sectional associations between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), their comorbidity, and hypertension. Methods: Participants (n = 4180) were drawn from a cohort of then who were members of the U.S. army during the Vietnam war era. Occupational, sociodemographic, and health data were collected from military service files, telephone interviews, and medical examinations. Hypertension status was defined by the presence of one of the following: self-reports at interview of either a physician-diagnosis or taking antihypertensive medication; or an average systolic blood pressure >= 140 mm Hg or an average diastolic blood pressure >= 90 mm Hg at the medical examination. One-year prevalence of GAD and MDD was determined, using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition criteria. Results: In separate regression models adjusting for age and then additionally for place of service, ethnicity, marital status, alcohol consumption, smoking, body mass index, household income, and education grade, both GAD and MDD were related positively to hypertension. In age-adjusted and fully adjusted models comparing comorbid GAD/MDD, GAD alone, MDD alone, and neither condition, comorbidity showed the strongest relationship with hypertension. Conclusion: Depression has been the main focus for research on mental health and physical health outcomes. The present results suggest that future research should pay equal attention to GAD and, in particular, the comorbidity of GAD and MDD.
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