Advisory Committee Chair
Russell Griffin
Advisory Committee Members
Gerald McGwin
Vera Bittner
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
1-1-2025
Degree Name by School
Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) School of Public Health
Abstract
Purpose: Given the observed link between psychosocial and physical health outcomes, this study investigates the association between serious psychological distress and life satisfaction among U.S adults with hypertension. Methods: A cross-sectional study using 2021 National Health Interview Survey data among U.S adults was conducted to investigate the association between serious psychological distress and hypertension and assess the role of life satisfaction in modifying this relationship. Hypertension (diagnosed, undiagnosed), serious psychological distress (≥ 13 on the Kessler 6 nonspecific distress scale), and life satisfaction (Very satisfied, Satisfied, Dissatisfied, Very dissatisfied) were self-reported by participants. Ordinal logistic regression was used to investigate relationships between hypertension, serious psychological distress and life satisfaction. Stratified analysis explored the combined effects of life satisfaction and hypertension on psychological distress, using logistic and ordinal logistic regression Results: The analysis of data represented 253,157,754 U.S adults, revealing a 31.5% prevalence of hypertension in this population. Adjusted ordinal logistic regression models demonstrate a significant association between hypertension and an increased odds of reporting each psychological distress measure, with odds ranging from (OR:1.36-1.48, 95% CI: 1.28-1.65). Hypertension was associated with decreased odds of reporting higher levels of life satisfaction (OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.71-0.80). Life dissatisfaction was associated with elevated odds of overall psychological distress (OR: 16.18, 95% CI:12.29-21.28) and each individual distress measure (OR: 4.75-14.24, 95% CI: 3.98-17.36). Furthermore, hypertension exacerbated these associations among individuals reporting life dissatisfaction (OR: 1.41-1.95, 95% CI: 1.10-2.47). A statistically significant interaction between hypertension and life satisfaction was observed for the distress measure “effort” (p=0.0006), indicating a modifying effect of hypertension on the association between life satisfaction and feelings of effort. Conclusion: This study demonstrates significant associations between hypertension and distress. Notably, life dissatisfaction is a strong predictor of serious psychological distress and hypertension can exacerbate these outcomes. Further research is warranted to investigate the associations between psychosocial health and hypertension prevalence.
CITI certificate
Recommended Citation
Lenz, Kellen Michael, ""The Association Between Serious Psychological Distress And Life Satisfaction Among U.S Adults With Hypertension"" (2025). All ETDs from UAB. 6863.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/6863
Comments
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