Volume 22, Issue 1
Psychosocial Factors Related with Essential Hypertension from a Gender Perspective
Abstract
This work aims to conduct a review of articles published over the past 20 years about the psychosocial aspects associated with essential hypertension, from a gender perspective. The literature search was conducted through the databases PsycINFO, LILACS and Redalyc. The conclusions show that hypertension was traditionally considered a psychophysiological disorder which affects males. The approach to the psychosocial aspects associated with hypertension was biased by a male point of view. Currently, there are differences between men and women in the manifestation of factors such as the type A personality, psychosocial stress, coping, and the patient's representations about hypertension. These differences are probably determined by gender.
Keywords
essential hypertension - psychosocial factors - gender