Socio-economic Differences in Hostility Measures - a Population Based Study

Abstract

The socio-economic differences in five hostility measures were studied using a population survey that covered 1,547 men and 1,856 women, aged 25-64 years. Respondents completed the cynical distrust (CynDis), trait anger ( Anger ), anger suppression ( AX/In ), control ( AX/Con ), and expression ( AX/Out ) scales. Respondents in lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups had higher cynical distrust scores but anger expression scores were higher among respondents in higher SES groups. AX/Out and CynDis were not related to each other, but both correlated positively with trait anger. Among lower SES groups trait anger and anger suppression have a strong positive correlation compared to higher SES groups. It can be argued that anger expression reflects higher self-confidence among higher SES groups in their ability to express anger when necessary, while elevated cynicism among lower SES groups may be a consequence of cumulative negative experiences during their respective lifetimes. Divergent results between hostility-related measures on SES variables suggest that the general notion of hostility is too broad a concept to use.