The Edgecombe County High Blood Pressure Control Program: III. Social support, social stressors, and treatment dropout.

In a hypertension prevalence survey of a stratified random sample of 1,000 households, 2,030 adults (aged 18 years and over) were interviewed and information on psychosocial variables collected. Among 359 hypertensives, there was a consistent relationship between indicators of difficulty in the social environment and dropout from treatment in women. Compared to those who remained in treatment, women who dropped out can be characterized as having less social support on the job, having less perceived spouse approval (if married), having a lower level of perceived access to supportive resources, and being more likely to report feeling pushed most or all of the time if they are homemakers. Relationships between indicators of social support and dropout from treatment in men were found only with support on the job, and for White men, with perceived friend approval.