Anxiety and depression fully mediate the relationship between anger expression and quality of life in a sample of hypertensive patients

The present study aimed to verify whether psychopathological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, among hypertensive patients mediate anger expression and mental health. To this purpose, one hundred hypertensive patients completed the State and Trait Anger Inventory-2, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. Fifty percent of the participants reported higher levels of psychopathological symptoms and lower levels of quality of life. A correlation analysis described positive associations between most of the scales of anger and psychopathological symptoms, including anxiety and depression. In contrast, mental health was negatively associated with anger expression and trait anger. A serial mediation model revealed that anxiety and depression fully mediated the relationship between anger expression and mental health. Our findings highlight the importance of conducting a multidimensional and multidisciplinary assessment to describe the mental health of hypertensives and prevent their psychological distress through the management of their emotional states. Taking care of the mental health of these patients may help them reduce psychological factors that influence their medical conditions.