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Selected Works of L. Alison Phillips
Article
Stroke survivors’ endorsement of a ‘stress belief model’ of stroke prevention predicts control of risk factors for recurrent stroke
Psychology, Health & Medicine (2014)
  • L. Alison Phillips, The George Washington University
  • Stanley Tuhrim, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
  • Ian M. Kronish, Columbia University Medical School
  • Carol R. Horowitz, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
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Abstract
Perceptions that stress causes and stress-reduction controls hypertension have been associated with
poorer blood pressure control in hypertension populations. The current study investigated these
“stress-model perceptions” in stroke survivors regarding prevention of recurrent stroke and the
influence of these perceptions on patients’ stroke risk-factor control. Stroke and transient ischemic
attack survivors (N=600) participated in an in-person interview in which they were asked about
their beliefs regarding control of future stroke; blood pressure and cholesterol were measured
directly after the interview. Counter to expectations, patients who endorsed a “stress-model” but
not a “medication-model” of stroke prevention were in better control of their stroke risk-factors
(blood pressure and cholesterol) than those who endorsed a medication-model but not a stressmodel
of stroke prevention (OR for poor control=.54, Wald statistic=6.07, p=.01). This result was
not explained by between group differences in patients’ reported medication adherence. The
results have implications for theory and practice, regarding the role of stress-belief models and
acute cardiac events, compared to chronic hypertension.
Keywords
  • adherence,
  • stroke prevention,
  • blood pressure,
  • health beliefs,
  • risk factors
Disciplines
Publication Date
2014
DOI
10.1080/13548506.2013.855801
Publisher Statement
Published in final edited form as: Psychol Health Med. 2014 October ; 19(5): 519–524. doi:10.1080/13548506.2013.855801.
Citation Information
L. Alison Phillips, Stanley Tuhrim, Ian M. Kronish and Carol R. Horowitz. "Stroke survivors’ endorsement of a ‘stress belief model’ of stroke prevention predicts control of risk factors for recurrent stroke" Psychology, Health & Medicine Vol. 19 Iss. 5 (2014) p. 519 - 524
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/lalison-phillips/2/