Cynical hostility at home and work: Psychosocial vulnerability across domains

Abstract

The Cook and Medley (1954) Hostility (Ho) scale has been found to predict coronary heart disease and general mortality. Previous research has indicated that the Ho scale primarily assesses a combination of anger proneness, resentment, and mistrust, and as a result can be viewed largely as a measure of cynical hostility. Previous, preliminary research has also indicated that cynically hostile persons report more stress and less social support, though such findings are not completely consistent across available studies. This psychosocial vulnerability, if indeed a consistent and pervasive correlate of hostility, is one potential link between Ho scores and disease. The present paper describes four studies examining psychosocial correlates of cynical hostility. Study 1 replicated previous findings of greater reported hassles and negative life events and less reported social support among high Ho scorers. Study 2 also replicated findings regarding general stress and support, and found more specifically that cynical hostility is associated with less reported support and higher reported conflict in the family. Study 3 found that Ho scores were associated with less marital satisfaction and more marital conflict, although this was more true for men than women. Study 4 indicated that cynical hostility was associated with greater reported stress in interpersonal aspects of work, with less job satisfaction, and with a negative view of work relationships. It is argued that this pattern of greater stress and less social support across domains represents an important psychosocial deficit or vulnerability—one potential link between cynical hostility and disease.