Higher Levels Of Hostility Research Articles

Hostility and cognitive control: Evidence of increased cardiovascular reactivity as a function of exposure to affective stress using a dichotic listening paradigm

Indices of cognitive control were examined in men with high and low levels of trait hostility as a function of exposure to affective and cognitive stress. A dual concurrent task paradigm was used whereby participants intentionally directed focus to the left or right ear under dichotic listening conditions before and after exposure to angry infant vocalizations. Analysis of the behavioral data supports the prediction of reduced right frontal regulatory control in men with high levels of hostility as indicated by diminished capacity to suppress report of phonemes presented to the language dominant left hemisphere (right ear) in the Focus Left condition. This diminishment in the capacity to suppress report of phonemes presented to the right ear in the Focus Left condition is suggestive of reduced cognitive control. With respect to the neurophysiological data, heart rate increased for only men with high levels of hostility in the Focus Left condition, and this was especially evident in the post-affective stress condition. This increase in right hemisphere arousal provides additional evidence of reduced cognitive control and support for the capacity model of hostility by implicating poor right frontal regulatory control over right posterior cerebral regions under dual task conditions. The results are discussed in terms of integrating the construct of cognitive control into the capacity model as well as providing implications regarding reductions in the capacity to suppress predominant aggressive responses in domestic settings.

A Health Behavior Prediction Model for Patients With Coronary Artery Disease.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationships among functional status, hostility, social support, illness perceptions, and health behaviors in patients with coronary artery disease using structural equation modeling. Participants comprised 215 patients with coronary artery disease who had received percutaneous coronary artery intervention or a coronary artery bypass graft in two general hospitals in Seoul, Korea. Using structured interviews with questionnaires, data accrued from July to August, 2015. Fitness of the model was verified with AMOS 21.0. As social support increased, it negatively aligned with cognitive-illness perceptions. Higher levels of hostility and greater negative cognitive-illness perceptions aligned with negative emotional-illness perceptions. Social support indirectly affected emotional-illness perceptions. Lower levels of functional status, greater social support, and more positive cognitive-illness perceptions aligned with health behaviors. Social support indirectly affected health behaviors. In conclusion, nurses should focus on coronary artery disease patients' physical functions and cognitive-illness perceptions to provide support.

Preliminary validation of a clinical staging model in schizophrenia and related disorders.

Clinical staging for schizophrenia and related disorders might provide an ideal means to overcome some limitations of the current diagnostic system and to facilitate early intervention. This study aims to retrospectively explore 1) the validity of a staging model 2) the stability of staging over time, and 3) the clinical factors associated with transition to more chronic stages. Data were derived from the Genetic Risk and Outcome of Psychosis study, a large cohort study of patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. We assigned patients to a clinical stage, according to methods described by McGorry in 2010, using PANSS and GAF measures at baseline and three-year follow-up. Distinction between the stages was best explained by worse symptomatic, social and neurocognitive functioning in the first ('First Episode of Psychosis'), and last stage ('Severe/Persisting illness') as compared to the intermediate stages. Approximately half of the participants changed stages over time. Transition to more chronic stages was associated with worse premorbid functioning, higher levels of hostility and depressive symptoms and lower quality of life at baseline. We conclude that the clinical staging model was applicable in our sample. However, distinction between the intermediate stages and their prognostic validity could be improved.

Perfectionism and Therapeutic Alliance: A Review of the Clinical Research.

In this review, we synthesize findings regarding the relationship between perfectionism and therapeutic alliance, most of which come from analyses by Blatt and colleagues. Results suggest what follows. First, patients’ initial level of perfectionism negatively affects patients’ bond with therapists and perception of therapists’ Rogerian attributes (empathy, congruence, and regard) early in treatment and engagement in therapy later in treatment. Second, therapists’ contribution to alliance is not seemingly affected by patients’ initial perfectionism level. Third, individual patients of therapists who are perceived on average by their patients to be higher on Rogerian attributes experience greater decreases in perfectionism and symptoms. Fourth, more positive perceptions of therapists’ Rogerian attributes early in treatment lead to greater symptom decrease for patients with moderate perfectionism. Fifth, greater early patient engagement in therapy is related to greater decrease in perfectionism, but a strong relationship with the therapist may be necessary for an accompanied greater decrease in symptoms. The relationship between pre-treatment perfectionism and alliance is partially explained by higher levels of hostility and lower levels of positive affect. Sixth, the relationship between pre-treatment perfectionism and outcome is almost entirely explained by level of patient contribution to alliance and satisfaction with social network, highlighting the importance of focusing on social functioning for patients with high perfectionism (both in and outside of the session). Limitations include that most of the findings are from analyses of one large data set and a range of measurement issues. Future research should utilize different measures, perspectives, and populations and examine specific session process.

Abstract P058: Hostility Attitudes & Prevalent or Future Diabetes Among Black Adults: The Jackson Heart Study

Background: Hostility and diabetes mellitus (DM) share common determinants such as obesity, tobacco use and physical inactivity. Thus, we investigated their unstudied relationship at baseline and at 10 yrs after among Black adults in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), a group with high rates of DM. Hypothesis: Hostility and its subdomains (hostile affect, aggressiveness, and cynicism) correlate with DM at baseline or at 10 yrs after. Methods: From the JHS cohort (n=5301), we studied 3,434 Blacks who completed the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale. Hostility was measured in 3 subdomains: hostile affect, cynicism and aggressiveness; higher scores correlated with higher hostility levels. Participants were stratified into quartiles based on the hostility scale. Frequency of DM at baseline or at 10 yrs after was compared amongst quartiles and tested for trend. Using multivariate logistic regression, we studied the cross-sectional relationship between quartiles of levels of hostility and the combined outcome of presence of diabetes at present or at 10 yrs after, adjusting for known confounders of DM. Subanalyses were conducted at each hostility domain level. Results: Our population was 35% men with a mean age of 54.3 (SD 12.6) yrs. Quartiles were associated with age, BMI, smoking, hA1c, caloric intake, hs-CRP, and alcohol intake (all p<0.05). Overall hostility quartiles and its subscales correlated with DM at baseline but only the subdomains of hostile affect and cynicism correlated with DM at 10 yrs. When prevalent or DM at 10 yrs were assessed as a combined risk, individuals in the last quartile of the hostile affect subdomain was associated with a higher DM risk versus first quartile (Table). Similar link was not found in other subdomains. Conclusions: Hostility attitude was associated with DM risk factors and prevalent DM. Only 2/3 of the hostility subdomains correlated with DM at 10 yrs after. Individuals from the last quartile of hostile affect subdomain was related to a higher risk of prevalent or DM at 10 yrs when compared to the first quartile.

Male College Students Using Sexually Aggressive Strategies: Findings on the Interpersonal Relationship Profile.

Limited interpersonal skills and relationship deficits are recognized as risk factors for sexual aggression as committed by convicted sexual offenders. Yet, less severe forms of sexual aggression are frequently perpetrated by nonforensic samples, including highly educated samples. This study was aimed at characterizing a sample of male college students reporting sexually aggressive strategies as a means to initiate sexual intercourse according to a set of interpersonal relationship factors, thus extending the knowledge on the role of interpersonal dimensions to the distinct contexts of sexual violence. Three hundred eight male college students completed a web survey assessing adult attachment styles, intimacy perception, interpersonal style, and psychosocial adjustment. Findings showed that 162 students (>50%) reported to have used some form of sexually aggressive strategy against women to initiate sexual contact. After controlling for the effects of social desirability, participants reporting sexually aggressive strategies presented significantly less confidence trusting others, more lack of perceived personal validation (within relationships), a more aggressive interpersonal style, and higher levels of hostility. Findings suggest that sexual violence, as measured in the context of college samples, may have an interpersonal nature, reflecting deficient social and intimacy skills; preventive programs are thus expected to enhance interpersonal relationship strategies as well as target individuals' perceived interpersonal vulnerability.

Associations between high levels of hostility and coronary heart disease in an open urban population among 25-64-year-old men

To establish the associations of the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) with high levels of hostility in the open population of 25-64-year-old men in an average urbanized Siberian town. A cross-sectional epidemiological survey was conducted in a representative sample of the electorate of a Tyumen administrative district among 1000 males, with 250 being in each of 4 life decades (25-34, 35-44, 45-54, and 55-64 years). There were 850 (85%) responses. Different forms of CHD were identified by standard methods (the WHO exertional angina questionnaire, resting EEG, and Minnesota coding) used in epidemiological surveys. Definite CHD (DCHD) and possible CHD were identified. A continuous survey method was used by self-filling out the WHO MONICA-psychosocial questionnaire to estimate the levels of hostility. In an average urbanized Siberian town, the prevalence of high levels of hostility among 25-64-year-old men was 46.4% (age-adjusted rate). The high levels of hostility increased with age, peaking in the 55-64-year-old group. In the Tyumen male population aged 25-64-year-old, the odds ratio (OR) for coronary heart disease and high levels of hostility was 2.71; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.63-4.52 (p<0.05); that for DCHD was almost twice higher (OR, 4.65; 95% CI, 2.14-10.12 (p<0.05). In the older men aged 55-64 years, OR for coronary heart disease and high levels of hostility was 5.42; 95% CI, 2.32-12.66 (p<0.05); that for DCHD was 25.85; 95% CI, 3.30-202.60 (p<0.05). Consequently, the epidemiological criteria for psychosocial risk factors, including hostility, which are detected by the standardized survey methods, should be used in prophylactic examinations of a male population and in the selection of able-bodied people with cardiovascular disease to be comprehensively examined and followed up.

Adolescent Siblings of Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities With and Without Comorbid Mental Health Problems: A Preliminary Comparison of Sibling Perceptions

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The presence of comorbid mental illness in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has been shown to have additional negative impact on parents and caregivers. However, the impact of such dual diagnoses on typically developing siblings has yet to be examined. Methods: Parents and typically developing adolescent siblings of a child with IDD from 49 families completed online surveys about the presence or absence of comorbid mental illness, target-child behavior problems, impact on the family, and sibling emotions toward the child with IDD. T-tests were used to compare results of families with a child with both IDD and MI and families with a child with IDD only. Results: Parents reported more behavior problems in children with comorbid IDD and MI, and a greater overall impact on the family. Adolescent siblings in the comorbid IDD/MI group reported higher levels of hostility, anxiety, and dysphoria toward their sibling, though there were no group differences in positive affect. Hierarchical linear regression results found that group membership was uniquely related to sibling dysphoria beyond target-child behavior problems. Conclusions: Having a brother or sister with comorbid mental illness and IDD seems to contribute to more negative feelings from adolescent siblings, though the absence of MI does not relate to more positive feelings. Results suggest that families of children with IDD/MI may need to be more proactive in fostering healthy sibling relationships.

Interaction Between Personality, Pain, and Genes in Ischemic Heart Disease

Personality traits of the patient with ischemic heart disease (IHD) are thought to determine disease course. Their level depends on clinical presentations of IHD including the presence of cardiac pain. The aim of the study was to identify the modifying effect of genes coding for serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR), serotonin receptor type 2A (A-1438G) and 2C (Cys23Ser) as well as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Val66Met) on personality traits in pain and painless forms of IHD. We found interaction between pain and personality factors mediated by genetic variant. Pain syndrome was associated with higher neuroticism scores in carriers of allele S (5-HTTLPR), allele Ser (5-HTR2C), and the genotype ValVal (BDNF) and with higher hostility levels in patients with allele Ser. The results may be used for purposes of personalized examination of IHD patients directed to prevention of unfavorable course of the disease.

Interpersonal hostility and suspicious thinking in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may struggle with hostility and suspicious thinking, but this has not been the subject of much research. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between hostility, suspicious thinking, and OCD severity. Participants included 66 outpatients in treatment for OCD, 27 in treatment for other disorders, and 68 students (n=161). All completed the Inventory of Hostility and Suspicious Thinking (IHS), a measure of psychotic thinking/paranoia, the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). As expected, the IHS was significantly positively correlated with the BAI and BDI-II. Additionally, regression analyses revealed that individuals with OCD have higher levels of hostility than students. Hostility was also significantly positively associated with increased OCD severity. Hostility and suspicious thoughts are prominent in anxiety disorders in general, and thus necessitate continued research.

Institutional Infractions Among Young Prisoners

Using a longitudinal design, this study describes changes in institutional infractions among a sample of 75 young males in a Portuguese prison. The inmates were assessed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after entry. The total number of infractions peaked at the third month and then declined. Although the pattern of severe infractions was irregular, minor infractions increased until the sixth month and decreased thereafter. Major predictors of inmates’ infractions during the first year in the institution were fewer visits, being single and non-White, having higher hostility levels, younger age at first imprisonment, and being a property offender.

Социально-психологические аспекты буллинга: взаимосвязь агрессивности и школьной тревожности

Bullying is seen as a variant of aggression. Natural interconnections between contents of teenagers’ fears, anxiety and aggression are analyzed. The longitudinal research results are presented, in the framework of which four consecutive measures of anxiety and the following aggressiveness indexes of 70 6th form pupils, and then 7th form ones are compared. It is being clarified, to what extent aggressive behavior risk is related to animosity as a negative notional attitude of an individual. Hostility stably and positively correlates with school, self-esteem, interpersonal and mystical anxiety among teenagers. Social situation of uncertainty, connected to constant transformation of social norms, exerts heavy influence. According to research results, greatly isolated schoolchildren stand out in each class. It is them, who, according to the expert teachers assessment and included to observational results, are victims to aggressors as well as to “onlookers”, who take positions of passive aggressors. Victims are stably overly anxious, possess high level of hostility and are inclined to protective aggression in behavior. Their further transformation into aggressors can be safely assumed. This work was supported by grant RFH № 15-06-00052.

Television viewing and hostile personality trait increase the risk of injuries

Individuals with high levels of hostility may be more susceptible to the influence of television on violence and risk taking behaviors. This study aimed to examine whether hostile personality trait modifies the association between TV viewing and injuries. It is a prospective study of 4,196 black and white adults aged 23 to 35 in 1990/1. Cross-lagged panel models were analyzed at three 5-year time periods to test whether TV viewing predicted injuries. Covariates were gender, race, and education. Individuals who watched more TV (0 hours, 1–3 hours, 4–6 hours, and ≥7 hours) were more likely to have a hospitalization for an injury in the following 5 years across each of the three follow-up periods [OR = 1.5 (95%CI = 1.2, 1.9), 1.5 (1.1, 1.9), and 1.9 (1.3, 2.6)]. The cross-lagged effects of TV viewing to injury were significant in the high hostility group [OR = 1.4 (95%CI = 1.1, 1.8), 1.3 (1.0, 1.8), and 2.0 (1.3, 2.9)] but not in the low hostility group [OR = 1.3 (95%CI = 0.6, 2.2), 1.1 (0.6, 2.1), and 1.4 (0.7, 2.8)]. Additionally, a statistically significant difference between the two models (P < 0.001) suggested that hostility moderated the relationship between TV watching and injury. These findings suggest that individuals who watch more TV and have a hostile personality trait may be at a greater risk for injury.

Nursing case management, peer coaching, and hepatitis a and B vaccine completion among homeless men recently released on parole: randomized clinical trial.

Although hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are vaccine-preventable diseases, few homeless parolees coming out of prisons and jails have received the hepatitis A and B vaccination series. The study focused on completion of the HAV and HBV vaccine series among homeless men on parole. The efficacy of three levels of peer coaching (PC) and nurse-delivered interventions was compared at 12-month follow-up: (a) intensive peer coaching and nurse case management (PC-NCM); (b) intensive PC intervention condition, with minimal nurse involvement; and (c) usual care (UC) intervention condition, which included minimal PC and nurse involvement. Furthermore, we assessed predictors of vaccine completion among this targeted sample. A randomized control trial was conducted with 600 recently paroled men to assess the impact of the three intervention conditions (PC-NCM vs. PC vs. UC) on reducing drug use and recidivism; of these, 345 seronegative, vaccine-eligible subjects were included in this analysis of completion of the Twinrix HAV/HBV vaccine. Logistic regression was added to assess predictors of completion of the HAV/HBV vaccine series and chi-square analysis to compare completion rates across the three levels of intervention. Vaccine completion rate for the intervention conditions were 75.4% (PC-NCM), 71.8% (PC), and 71.9% (UC; p = .78). Predictors of vaccine noncompletion included being Asian and Pacific Islander, experiencing high levels of hostility, positive social support, reporting a history of injection drug use, being released early from California prisons, and being admitted for psychiatric illness. Predictors of vaccine series completion included reporting having six or more friends, recent cocaine use, and staying in drug treatment for at least 90 days. Findings allow greater understanding of factors affecting vaccination completion in order to design more effective programs among the high-risk population of men recently released from prison and on parole.

Treatment adherence in schizophrenia: A patient-level meta-analysis of combined CATIE and EUFEST studies

The Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) obtained a sample of 1493 chronic schizophrenia patients. The European First Episode Schizophrenia Trial (EUFEST) studied a sample of 498 patients. We have combined these two samples to study the predictors and correlates of adherence to treatment. Here we report on adherence to pharmacological treatment at the six and twelve month assessments of these trials with a combined subsample of 1154 schizophrenia patients. Individual patients׳ data were used for analyses. We used logistic regression to examine the effects of substance use, akathisia, parkinsonism, dyskinesia, hostility, and insight on pharmacological adherence. The results showed that reduced adherence to pharmacological treatment was associated with substance use (p=0.0003), higher levels of hostility (p=0.0002), and impaired insight (p<0.0001). Furthermore, poor adherence to study medication was associated with earlier discontinuation in the combined data. The clinical implications of the results point to the importance of routine assessments and interventions to address patients׳ insight and comorbid substance use and the establishment of therapeutic alliance.

Shorter telomeres with high telomerase activity are associated with raised allostatic load and impoverished psychosocial resources

Recent work has linked psychological stress with premature cellular aging as indexed by reduced leukocyte telomere length. The combination of shorter telomeres with high telomerase activity (TA) may be indicative of active cell stress. We hypothesized that older individuals characterized by shorter telomeres with high TA in unstimulated leukocytes would show signs of high allostatic load and low levels of protective psychosocial resources. We studied 333 healthy men and women aged 54-76 y who underwent laboratory testing in which we measured cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and inflammatory responses to standardized mental stress tasks. The tasks elicited prompt increases in blood pressure (BP), heart rate, cortisol, and mediators of inflammation and reductions in heart rate variability, returning toward baseline levels following stress. However, men having shorter telomeres with high TA showed blunted poststress recovery in systolic BP, heart rate variability, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, together with reduced responsivity in diastolic BP, heart rate, and cortisol, in comparison to men with longer telomeres or men with shorter telomeres and low TA. Shorter telomeres with high TA were also associated with reduced social support, lower optimism, higher hostility, and greater early life adversity. These effects were independent of age, socioeconomic status, and body mass index. We did not observe differences among older women. Our findings suggest that active cell stress is associated with impaired physiological stress responses and impoverished psychosocial resources, reflecting an integration of cellular, systemic, and psychological stress processes potentially relevant to health in older men.

Predictors of High Level of Hostility Among Homeless Men on Parole

High levels of hostility present a formidable challenge among homeless ex-offenders. This cross-sectional study assessed correlates of high levels of hostility using baseline data collected on recently-released male parolees (n =472; age 18 – 60) participating in a randomized trial focused on prevention of illicit drug use and recidivism. Predictors of high levels of hostility included greater depressive symptomatology, lower self-esteem, having a mother who was treated for alcohol/drugs, belonging to a gang, more tangible support, having used methamphetamine and having a history of cognitive difficulties. These findings highlight the need to understand predictors of hostility among recently released homeless men and how these predictors may relate to recidivism. Research implications are discussed, as these findings will shape future nurse-led harm reduction and community-based interventions.

Hostility and childhood sexual abuse as predictors of suicidal behaviour in Borderline Personality Disorder

Impulsivity is a multidimensional construct and has been previously associated with suicidal behaviour in borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study examined the associations between suicidal behaviour and impulsivity-related personality traits, as well as history of childhood sexual abuse, in 76 patients diagnosed with BPD using both the Structured Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders III (DSM-III) Axis-II diagnoses and the self-personality questionnaire. Impulsivity-related traits were measured using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), the Buss–Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI) and the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R). We found that hostility and childhood sexual abuse, but not impulsivity or other temperament traits, significantly predicted the presence, number and severity of previous suicide attempts. Hostility traits and childhood sexual abuse showed an impact on suicide attempts in BPD. Our results support previous findings indicating that high levels of hostility and having suffered sexual abuse during childhood lead to an increased risk for suicidal behaviour in BPD.

Relationship between hostility and subjective sleep quality

While hostility and sleep disturbance are the potential risk factors for health problems and disease, few studies have examined the relationship between the two factors. The present study was performed to investigate the relationship between hostility and sleep problems assessed both subjectively and objectively in a nonclinical sample. Sixty-one healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. Hostility was measured according to the Cook–Medley hostility scale. Subjective sleep quality was evaluated according to the global score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Objective sleep was evaluated using actigraphy. A multiple regression analysis revealed that a higher level of hostility was significantly associated with the global score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and that a higher level of depression was not associated with the global score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Objective sleep measures were not found to be associated with hostility. Confirming the robust relationship between poor sleep and hostility would have several important treatment implications for preventing health problems.

1197 – Social-psychological differences between men and women greek doctors

Many studies have concluded that doctors -irrelevant of their specialties- have higher levels of hostility and psychological problems compared to these observed in the general population. The investigation of psychological characteristics of Greek male and female resident doctors. To demonstrate the high hostility rates among physicians. 102 Greek resident doctors in the field of Internal Medicine, 45 male and 57 female, participated in the present study. The scientific tools used were: a) the Other As Shamer Scale (OAS), b) the Experience of Shame Scale (ESS), c) the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ), d) The Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), e) a questionnaire concerning socio-demographic information. The 52% of the sample(73,3% of male and 33,5% of female) are single with mean age 33,9 and 34,2 correspondingly. In their comparison using the T-Test it was observed that the male resident doctors showed a statistically higher mean value in the subscales of: behavioral shame (P=0,045), criticism of others (P=0,031), extrapunitiveness (P=0,048). No other significant differences were demonstrated between the two groups. There were not demonstrated significant differences between male and female doctors. Both male as well as female resident doctors of the sample showed high levels of hostility, a result that is supported by many other international studies. Concerning the socio-demographic results of the study it must be stressed that the medical doctors used in the sample are married at a higher age compared to the general Greek population of their coevals.