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PubMed1999

The short-term effects of a hostility-reduction intervention on male coronary heart disease patients.

This preliminary study examined the effects of a hostility-reduction intervention on patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Twenty-two high-hostile CHD men were matched on age and hostility and then randomly assigned to a hostility intervention (N = 10) or an information-control group (N = 12). Patients were reassessed immediately and 2 months posttreatment on hostility (with self-report and structured interview) and resting blood pressure. The intervention's overall effect size was moderately strong (d' = .62). Intervention patients reported at both reassessments and were observed at follow-up to be less hostile than controls. At follow-up, intervention patients had significantly lower diastolic blood pressure (DBP) than controls. Finally, reductions in hostility were significantly and positively correlated with reductions in DBP. Replication with a larger sample and CHD outcomes is recommended.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Nicotine reduces the frequency of anger reports in smokers and nonsmokers with high but not low hostility: an ambulatory study.

Two studies were conducted to determine the anger-attenuating effects of nicotine as a function of trait hostility. The 1st study examined the effects of nicotine on diary ratings of anger during a 24-hr period in a natural setting in 30 smokers and 30 nonsmokers. Participants took part in 2 monitoring sessions involving the administration of a nicotine patch and a placebo patch. Participants were categorized as high or low on trait hostility on the basis of their scores on the Cook-Medley Hostility scale. Administration of the nicotine patch, compared with the placebo patch, resulted in a significant reduction in diary reports of anger from 24% to 13% in high-hostile participants. In low-hostile participants, nicotine had no effect on reports of anger during the day. The anger-palliative effects of nicotine were greatest among participants more frequently reporting anger on the placebo-patch day. These effects were independent of smoking status and gender. The 2nd study, which was restricted to high-hostile smokers (n = 19) and nonsmokers (n = 23), found that, compared with a placebo patch, administration of nicotine resulted in significant reductions in reports of anger in smokers and nonsmokers. The results of these 2 studies clearly link nicotine to reduced reports of anger in high-hostile individuals.

Administration, Cutaneous↗

PubMed2001

Correlation of panic attacks and hostility in chronic schizophrenia.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between panic attacks and hostility in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Thirty-two patients with a minimum 2-year history of treatment for schizophrenia were interviewed. The patients took mood stablizers lithium, carbamazepine and valproate adjunctively for hostility and anger attacks. Panic attacks were defined by Structure Clinical Interview of DSM-IV. Severity of psychopathology was assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Functional level was assessed by the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF). Eight (25%) patients met the diagnostic criteria for panic attacks (DSM-IV) with affective symptoms including hostility and sudden spells of anger. Their HDRS scores were significantly higher (P < 0.01), and GAF scores were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those of patients without panic attacks. Patients with panic attacks displayed significantly higher hostility in the score of the BPRS (P = 0.01). Those who received higher doses of neuroleptics were more likely to be considered hostile. Multivariate analysis revealed that panic attacks were correlated with more severe depression, greater hostility and lower GAF scores. The results suggest that increased hostility and anger spells may be symptoms of panic attacks, which are overlooked by psychiatrists.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Hostility as a moderator of physical reactivity and recovery to stress.

This experiment was designed to assess differences in physiological reactivity and recovery to stress among low- and high-hostile men. Specifically, 25 low- and 25 high-hostile undergraduates were identified using the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale (Cook & Medley, 1954). To ensure homogeneity, all subjects were right-handed and had a general right hemibody preference, as indicated by a score of +7 or higher on the Coren, Porac, and Duncan Laterality Test (Corer, Porac, & Duncan, 1979). All subjects underwent a traditional cold-pressor stressor test. Physiological measures--heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure--were recorded before the stressor (Prestress), after the stressor (Poststress), and then again 9 min later (Recovery). Increased physiological arousal between pre- and poststress measurements was used as an indicator of reactivity. Subsequent decreases in physiological arousal were used as recover measures. Given the current models of negative emotion and hostility, it was expected that high-hostiles, relative to low-hostiles, would evidence increased physiological arousal and decreased recovery to stress. Interestingly, high-hostiles experienced significantly greater reactivity to stress in heart rate only, and no group differences were found with regard to recovery. Results are discussed in terms of previous research and current models of emotion.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

An analysis of the relationship between hostility and training in the martial arts.

Contrasting views and data are available on the issue of whether combative sports facilitate or reduce aggression. In the present study levels of hostility were assessed in two groups of martial arts students using the Buss-Durkee Inventory. Levels of hostility on a variety of the sub-scales were compared with scores from similar samples of participants in a body contact, aggressive but non-combative sport (rugby football) and a competitive sport with no body contact or direct aggression (badminton). When the effects of age and length of training were controlled by use of partial correlation there was no evidence to support group differences in either the combined score from the varied sub-scales of the inventory or the more specific assaultive sub-scale. However, there was evidence to suggest a significant effect of length of training on hostility levels in martial artists. Beginners attracted to the martial arts were more hostile but the hostility declined with the duration of training. No difference was apparent in this respect for students participating in either jui jitsu or karate. It is suggested that such differential effects with respect to length of training may lead to the overall absence of the between-sport differences. The results provide tentative support for the notion that the discipline of the martial arts may reduce assaultive hostility rather than serve as a model for such behaviour, yet support the need for prospective longitudinal studies on intra-individual hostility.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

The relationship between hostility and blood pressure in children.

The relationship between two dimensions of hostility and resting blood pressure was examined in 98 children aged 7 to 10 years. The children completed the expressive and experienced hostility subscales of the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory and one week later had blood pressure and obesity levels assessed. Multiple regression analyses and analyses of variance showed that expressive hostility was positively associated with blood pressure, although this relationship became marginally significant when the effects of obesity were controlled. A significant inverse relationship was found between experienced hostility and systolic blood pressure. These results are discussed as they relate to findings in adults on hostility and cardiovascular disease and the relationship between hostility, blood pressure, and obesity.

Blood Pressure↗

PubMed1995

Effect of risperidone on hostility in schizophrenia.

The objective was to examine effects of risperidone on hostility and compare these effects with those of haloperidol. On the basis of risperidone's pharmacologic profile, we hypothesized that risperidone has a selective effect on hostility and that this effect is greater than that of haloperidol. The data were obtained in a multicenter clinical trial of risperidone under placebo-controlled, double-blind conditions (duration, 9 weeks). The patients were 139 patients with the diagnosis of DSM-III-R schizophrenia. Hostility was measured by the "hostility" item of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Change in hostility served as a dependent variable in the analyses. Change in "psychosis" was applied as a covariate; it helped us examine changes in hostility that were unrelated to change in psychosis (selective effect). Risperidone had a greater selective effect on hostility than did haloperidol or placebo. This finding should encourage tests of risperidone as a treatment for patients who show frequent overt physical aggression.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The relationships between dimensions of hostility and cardiovascular reactivity as a function of task characteristics.

The present study examined the independent relationships between dimensions of hostility and cardiovascular responses to a laboratory task with and without harassment. Fifty-three males, aged 18 to 26, with a negative parental history of cardiovascular disease were selected on the basis of their scores on the Cook and Medley Hostility (Ho) scale (greater than 24 or less than 14). Factor-analysis of six separate measures of hostility/anger resulted in a two-factor solution; Factor 1 representing antagonistic hostility and Factor 2 representing neurotic hostility. Results showed that high factor scores on antagonistic hostility were significantly associated with greater systolic blood pressure (SBP) and forearm blood flow (FBF) changes and poorer SBP recovery to harassment. In addition, high factor scores on neurotic hostility significantly predicted greater FBF changes to harassment. Additional correlational analysis showed that cardiovascular responses were positively associated with self-reported negative affects but only for subjects with high scores on either dimension. These results are in agreement with recent evidence suggesting that only antagonistic hostility may be related to increased severity of coronary artery disease and that the degree of interpersonal conflict moderates the association between coronary-prone behaviors and cardiovascular responses.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cynical hostility and cardiovascular reactivity during self-disclosure.

Recent research suggests that hostility might contribute to the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) and other illnesses. One potential mechanism linking hostility and health is exaggerated physiological reactivity to social stressors. Given that mistrust and suspiciousness are closely related to this trait, the self-disclosure of personal information regarding a stressful experience may elicit heightened reactivity in hostile persons. To evaluate this hypothesis, undergraduate men (N = 60) classified as high or low on the Cook and Medley Hostility (Ho) Scale were randomly assigned to either a self-disclosure or a nondisclosure condition. Consistent with prediction, among subjects participating in the self-disclosure discussion task, hostile individuals displayed significantly greater blood pressure reactivity compared with subjects low in hostility. These results support the psychophysiological reactivity model of hostility and health, and underscore the potential importance of social context in the psychosomatic process.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of verbal self-disclosure on natural killer cell activity: moderating influence of cynical hostility.

One objective of the present research was to examine the immunological effects of self-disclosing personal information regarding a traumatic or stressful experience. A second objective was to examine the hypothesis that the effect of self-disclosure on immune function is moderated by individual differences in cynical hostility. Forty-three male college undergraduates, classified as high or low on the Cook-Medley Hostility scale were randomly assigned to either a verbal self-disclosure or a nondisclosure discussion condition. Task-induced change in natural killer (NK) cell activity (i.e., cytotoxicity) served as the dependent variable. As predicted, a significant interaction between discussion condition and hostility was obtained. Among subjects in the self-disclosure condition, high hostility subjects exhibited a significantly greater increase in NK cell cytotoxicity than low hostility subjects. The effect of self-disclosure on NK cell activity is moderated by an individual's level of cynical hostility. The greater short term enhancement in NK cell activity observed for hostile persons is a likely correlate of a more pronounced acute arousal response elicited by the self-disclosure task.

Anxiety Disorders↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Defensive hostility and coronary heart disease: a preliminary investigation of male veterans.

OBJECTIVE: Research and theory link an interpersonal conflict model to cardiovascular disease. Specifically, persons scoring high on cynical hostility and social defensiveness are thought to manifest a defensive need for approval while harboring basic distrust and hostility toward those who could provide such approval. The objective of this study was to assess whether angiographically determined coronary artery disease (CAD) was associated with this combination of high cynical hostility and high social defensiveness. METHODS: Fifty-nine male patients of a Veterans Administration Medical Center (86% white, mean age = 59.9 years) participated in the study on the day before their angiographic procedure; these men filled out the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (social defensiveness). They subsequently were categorized as having defensive hostility (DH), high hostility (HH), high social defensiveness (SD), or low psychosocial risk (LRisk; low on both scales). RESULTS: The four groups did not differ significantly on risk factor status or health status. As predicted, a preplanned contrast showed that the DH group's mean number of arteries with at least 50% blockage (mean = 2.5) differed significantly from the combined means of the other groups. The HH and SD groups did not differ from the LRisk group. CONCLUSIONS: When combined with other reports, the approach-avoidance interpersonal conflict model holds the promise of providing additional information about the psychosocial factors contributing to CAD development among men with high cynical hostility.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hostility as a predictor of survival in patients with coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE: This article presents a reanalysis of an earlier study that reported a nonsignificant relation between the 50-item Cook-Medley Hostility Scale (CMHS) and survival in a sample of coronary patients. Since publication of those results, there have been significant developments in the measurement of hostility that suggest that an abbreviated scale may be a better predictor of health outcomes. This study examined the ability of the total CMHS and an abbreviated form of the CMHS (ACM) to predict survival in a sample of patients with documented coronary artery disease (CAD) with increased statistical power. METHODS: Nine hundred thirty-six patients (83% were male; mean age = 51.48) with CAD who were followed for an average of 14.9 years. The ACM consisted of the combination of the cynicism, hostile attribution, hostile affect, and aggressive responding subscales that were identified in an earlier study (Barefoot et al. [1989]) by a rational analysis of the item content. The relation between hostility and survival was examined with Cox proportional hazard models (hazard ratios [HRs] based on a two standard deviation difference). RESULTS: Controlling for disease severity, the ACM was a significant predictor for both CHD mortality (HR = 1.33, p <.009) and total mortality (HR = 1.28, p <.02). The total CMHS was only a marginally significant predictor of either outcome (p values < 0.06). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that hostility is associated with poorer survival in CAD patients, and it may be possible to refine measures of hostility in order to improve prediction of health outcomes.

Cause of Death↗

PubMed1982

Changes in hostility during the course of hypomanic illness.

Thirty patients with hypomania (or mania) were studied using the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire to establish by testing and retesting the same patients the changes that take place in hostility as a hypomanic illness remits. Highly significant decreases in total hostility, in extrapunitiveness, in criticism of others and in projected hostility were demonstrated. There was some evidence to suggest that acquiescent response set may be characteristic, not of the hypomanic state itself, but of individuals predisposed to develop such an illness. Hostility scores in recovered female hypomanics did not differ from those of control subjects once correction had been made for the effects of age and social class. As an exception to the rule, the case is described of a man with mild mental retardation where testing confirmed clinical and collateral observations of a massive increase in hostility on recovery from a hypomanic illness.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Neurotransmitter and hormonal background of hostility in anorexia nervosa.

Marked hostility toward relatives, therapists and friends is very frequently observed in anorexia nervosa (AN) as expression of outward-directed aggressiveness which interferes with the therapeutic programs of the patients. With the purpose to investigate this aspect of the disorder and its biological background, we studied in anorexics some neurotransmitter-hormonal secretions which are known to modulate aggressivity-hostility by measuring plasma concentrations of total (TT) and free testosterone (FT), total estrogens (TE), the TT/E and FT/TE ratios, and the serotonergic function by measuring basal prolactin (PRL) levels and responses to stimulation with the specific serotonin (5-HT)-releasing agent D-fenfluramine (D-Fen). In 13 women with AN, 5 of the restricted (AN-R) and 8 of the bingeing/purging type (AN-BP) in an active phase of the disease, and in 13 healthy controls matched for sex and age, we measured hostility by the SCL-90 scale (subscale items 11, 24, 63, 67, 74, 81). Basal TT, FT, TE, TT/TE, FT/TE, PRL values and PRL responses to D-Fen and to saline administration were measured radioimmunologically in AN patients and controls. Hostility was significantly higher in AN patients than in controls, TT, FT and TE concentrations were significantly lower in AN patients than in controls, TT/TE ratio was significantly higher in AN patients than in controls, and FT/TE ratio was not different in the two groups. In AN patients and controls, hostility correlated positively with TT and FT values. Basal PRL values and responses to D-Fen administration were significantly lower in anorexics than in controls, but they did not correlate with the degree of hostility in either patients or controls. In conclusion, hostility is higher than normal in anorexics, and its severity seems to be linked to the secretion of FT and not to the alterations in the 5-HT function.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Hostility toward caregivers as a selection criterion for transplantation.

Researchers have focused on hostility and aggression of psychiatric patients but little is known about what effects transplant candidates' hostility toward their caregivers has on the care the candidates receive. Hostility is defined as any verbal, nonverbal, or physical behavior which threatens persons or property. Although hostility may be one of the precipitating factors in the need for an organ transplant, it may also be a response of the patient to his or her condition. This study focused on whether transplant coordinators felt that hostility should be used as a criterion for accepting or rejecting a transplant candidate. A nonexperimental descriptive survey design targeted 559 organ transplant coordinators who were members of the North American Transplant Coordinators Organization. Many coordinators in this study (62%) felt that a hostile candidate should not receive an organ transplant. Different methods of caring for hostile patients should be explored, especially for those who are antagonistic and who exhibit aggressive behaviors. Given the scarcity of donor organs, ethical principles must guide the allocation of these organs and the selection of transplant recipients.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Hostility and perceived social support: interactive effects on cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stressors.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has identified trait hostility and social isolation as possible psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, few studies have examined hostility and social support simultaneously to determine their independent and possible interactive relations with CHD and disease-promoting mechanisms. PURPOSE: Hypotheses derived from a general interpersonal model were tested in a study examining trait hostility and perceived social support as predictors of cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stressors. METHODS: Healthy college students (53 men, 55 women) performed speech and mental arithmetic tasks while blood pressure and heart rate were monitored. RESULTS: There was an interactive effect of hostility and perceived social support on systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) reactivity. Higher hostility scores were associated with greater SBP reactivity for participants who were high in perceived social support; whereas for those with low social support scores, greater hostility was associated with somewhat less SBP reactivity. The same pattern was obtained for DBP, but only during the speech task. CONCLUSIONS: These findings encourage further research conceptualizing trait hostility within a general interpersonal framework that calls attention to both positive and negative person-environment transactions.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Interpersonal Hostility Assessment Technique: description and validation against the criterion of coronary artery disease.

High levels of hostility are associated with adverse health outcomes. The Interpersonal Hostility Assessment Technique (IHAT; Barefoot, 1992) measures hostility from verbal behavior during a standardized interview. Four types of behaviors are scored as hostility: evading the question, irritation, and indirect and direct challenges to the interviewer. The sum of the frequencies of these acts is a Hostile Behavior Index (HBI), which is divided into two components: verbal, scored with speech content in mind, and paraverbal, based on vocal stylistics. This study examined characteristics of IHAT assessments in 129 male coronary patients. Satisfactory interrater reliabilities were obtained. The HBI correlated highly (.58) with coronary artery disease severity after controlling for traditional risk factors. This relation was not affected by question topic or by differential weighting of the four hostile behaviors. Both HBI components were significantly correlated with disease. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for hostility assessment.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Perceived maternal control and support: effects on hostile biased social information processing and aggression among clinic-referred children with high aggression.

Based on a sample of 89 aggressive clinic-referred children, aged between 9 and 11 years, a longitudinal study of 1-year duration was conducted to examine (a) whether the children's perception of control and support of their mothers' to them predicted their hostile attribution of intent and hostile response selection, and (b) whether these hostile biased social cognitions mediated the relationships between their perceived maternal behaviours and their aggression. Participants completed a questionnaire covering both the perceived maternal control and support. One year later, their hostile attribution of intent and response selection, and aggression, were measured. Results showed that perceived maternal control and perceived maternal support were associated positively and negatively, respectively, with both the social cognition measures. Also, the social cognition measures mediated the relationships of the perceived maternal measures with aggression. The findings are discussed in terms of how children's hostile biased relational schemas and scripts, developed from negative parenting and insecure attachment, favour more hostile social cognitions, and how these in turn mediate children's current hostile biased social behaviours.

Adult↗