Family conflict predicts blood pressure changes in African-American adolescents: a preliminary examination.

Reviews of the youth literature suggest that the precursors of elevated blood pressure begin in childhood. As such, it may be possible to identify processes among African-American adolescents that are associated with blood pressure changes. This study examined the relationship between family conflict and mean arterial pressure changes in a sample of 39 African-American adolescents. Resting mean arterial pressure, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were assessed at Time 1 and Time 2, separated by a period of 6 months. Assessments of perceived family conflict and negative life events were taken at Time 1. Findings from the multiple regression analyses indicated that family conflict predicted mean arterial blood pressure changes, independent of the effects of age, gender, and body mass index. Although preliminary, these findings highlight the importance of exploring environmental processes that may influence physiological outcomes in adolescents. Copyright 2000 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.