Causal disorder representation of men and women with a diagnosed essential arterial hypertension
The causal disorder representation of men and women with a diagnosed essential arterial hypertension is discussed. 40 men and 40 women at the age 60 ± 11 years with an essential arterial hypertension (stages I and II) were examined. In order to assess causal representation, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) was used. The study of causal disorder representation established 58 notions respondents used to explain the cause of their disorder. Among the leading causes people named there were stress (37 out of 80), work (22 out of 80), bad habits including smoking and alcohol abuse (17 out of 80), age (15 out of 80), heredity (14 out of 80). Statistically, men named bad habits as a cause more often than women. A step-by-step research of associations between separate causes allowed to establish the fact that men also typically name stresses and lack of physical activity. For women, it was typical to name such causes as misunderstanding and age and unusual to add bad habits to the list. The established peculiarities should be taken into consideration in order to optimize the treatment process.