Higher Levels Of Hostility Research Articles

Gender differences in hostility of opioid-dependent outpatients: role in early treatment termination

The purpose of this study was to evaluate gender differences in hostility and the role of hostility in predicting early treatment termination of opioid-dependent outpatients. Demographic characteristics and Addiction Severity Index (ASI) ratings were collected from 104 patients (68 males and 36 females) at intake to a buprenorphine treatment program. Hostility was assessed using the Buss–Durkee Hostility Scale. Compared to male opioid-dependent patients, females scored significantly higher on this scale. Early treatment termination was defined as remaining in treatment <30 days, and 13% percent of males and 25% of females were classified as early terminators. Stepwise logistic regression identified predictors of early treatment termination. Severity of legal and employment problems and the interaction between hostility and gender predicted early treatment termination status. Patients with less severe legal problems and patients with greater employment problems were more likely to terminate early from treatment. Higher levels of hostility predicted early treatment termination of female patients, but hostility levels were not associated with treatment termination in male patients. Results from this study show that female heroin addicts have high levels of hostility and suggest that hostility may be an important predictor of premature discharge from opioid substitution programs, especially among women.

Effects of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Training Programs on Coronary Patients With High Levels of Hostility

To determine the effects of cardiac rehabilitation interventions on patients with hostility, or unexpressed anger, a coronary heart disease risk factor that adversely affects morbidity and mortality after major coronary heart disease events. Using validated questionnaires to evaluate behavioral characteristics and quality of life, we studied 500 consecutive patients before and after cardiac rehabilitation and compared a group of 65 patients with high levels of hostility with 435 patients with low levels of hostility. After rehabilitation, statistically significant improvements occurred in the total cohort in scores for anxiety, depression, and somatization, as well as total quality of life, but not in hostility score (-20%; P = .07). Patients with high levels of hostility had significant improvements in hostility scores as well as other behavioral characteristics (anxiety, depression, and somatization) and all quality-of-life components. These patients also improved exercise capacity, percent body fat, body mass index, and total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Compared with patients with low levels of hostility, those with high levels of hostility had greater relative improvements in hostility scores, as well as anxiety, general health, energy, mental health, and total quality-of-life scores, and had similar improvements in exercise capacity, obesity indexes, lipid levels, and other behavioral characteristics and quality-of-life measurements. After cardiac rehabilitation, the prevalence of high levels of hostility decreased by 40%, from 13% to 8% (P < .01). These data suggest that cardiac rehabilitation reduces hostility and significantly improves quality of life and other behavioral characteristics in patients with high levels of hostility. We believe that greater attention should be directed at behavioral characteristics, including hostility, to enhance the primary and particularly the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease.

Effects of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Training Programs on Coronary Patients With High Levels of Hostility

Objective To determine the effects of cardiac rehabilitation interventions on patients with hostility, or unexpressed anger, a coronary heart disease risk factor that adversely affects morbidity and mortality after major coronary heart disease events. Methods Using validated questionnaires to evaluate behavioral characteristics and quality of life, we studied 500 consecutive patients before and after cardiac rehabilitation and compared a group of 65 patients with high levels of hostility with 435 patients with low levels of hostility. Results After rehabilitation, statistically significant improvements occurred in the total cohort in scores for anxiety, depression, and somatization, as well as total quality of life, but not in hostility score (−20%; P=.07). Patients with high levels of hostility had significant improvements in hostility scores as well as other behavioral characteristics (anxiety, depression, and somatization) and all quality-of-life components. These patients also improved exercise capacity, percent body fat, body mass index, and total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Compared with patients with low levels of hostility, those with high levels of hostility had greater relative improvements in hostility scores, as well as anxiety, general health, energy, mental health, and total quality-of-life scores, and had similar improvements in exercise capacity, obesity indexes, lipid levels, and other behavioral characteristics and quality-of-life measurements. After cardiac rehabilitation, the prevalence of high levels of hostility decreased by 40%, from 13% to 8% (P Conclusions These data suggest that cardiac rehabilitation reduces hostility and significantly improves quality of life and other behavioral characteristics in patients with high levels of hostility. We believe that greater attention should be directed at behavioral characteristics, including hostility, to enhance the primary and particularly the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease.

Patterns of Hostility and Social Support: Conceptualizing Psychosocial Risk Factors as Characteristics of the Person and the Environment

Although hostility and social support are closely related, these risk factors for cardiovascular disease and premature death are typically considered separately. Interpersonal approaches to personality and social relations (Kiesler, 1996) provide models and methods for examining the interrelation of these constructs. The current study used the interpersonal approach to identify and describe groups of individuals varying on hostility and social support. In two samples of undergraduate men and women, replicated cluster analyses revealed three distinct patterns of psychosocial risk. An affiliative (i.e., “low-risk”) group was characterized by low hostility and high social support. This group displayed a friendly interpersonal style on a measure of the five-factor model that incorporates the interpersonal circumplex. On a related measure of parental representations, the low-risk group reported pervasively affiliative interactions with their mothers and fathers as well as a secure adult attachment style. A hostile group was characterized by higher levels of hostility and high social support. These individuals presented a more hostile interpersonal style and higher levels of neuroticism, but reported typically affiliative interactions with parents and a secure attachment style. Finally, a hostile-isolated group was distinguished by elevated hostility and low social support. These subjects displayed a hostile-submissive interpersonal style as well as higher levels of neuroticism. They also reported more hostile and fewer friendly interactions with their parents and an insecure adult attachment style. These findings illustrate the potential value of examining naturally occurring patterns of psychosocial risk. Because the interpersonal approach allows the description of personality traits and interpersonal processes in a common conceptual language, it may be a particularly useful methodology in this regard.

Subtle neurological deficits and psychopathological findings in substance-abusing homeless and non-homeless veterans.

This study evaluated the hypothesis that homeless individuals would display higher levels of neurological deficits than non-homeless individuals, particularly in frontal lobe or executive functions. Eighteen acutely homeless, 15 chronically homeless, and 20 non-homeless individuals admitted to an inpatient psychiatric service received a battery of neurological and psychosocial measures. In comparison to non-homeless subjects with comparable levels of psychopathology, homeless individuals showed higher levels of hostility, prior criminal activity, and family history of psychiatric illness, but lower levels of depression. A positive relationship between hostility and neurological soft signs was observed among chronically homeless subjects. These results suggest that a substantial subset of nonpsychotic homeless veterans suffers from "occult" neurological deficits.

Hostility and increased risk of mortality and acute myocardial infarction: the mediating role of behavioral risk factors.

Cynical hostility has been associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality; yet few studies have investigated this relation in population-based samples, and little is known about underlying mechanisms. This study examined the association between hostility, measured by the eight-item Cynical Distrust Scale, and risk for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and incident myocardial infarction. Subjects were 2,125 men, ages 42-60 years, from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, a longitudinal study of unestablished and traditional risk factors for ischemic heart disease, mortality, and other outcomes. There were 177 deaths (73 cardiovascular) in 9 years of follow-up. Men with hostility scores in the top quartile were at more than twice the risk of all-cause mortality (relative hazards (RH) 2.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.47-3.59) and cardiovascular mortality (RH 2.70, 95% CI 1.27-5.76), relative to men with scores in the lowest quartile. Among 1,599 men without previous myocardial infarction or angina, high scorers also had an increased risk of myocardial infarction (RH 2.18, 95% CI 1.01-4.70). Biologic and socioeconomic risk factors, social support, and prevalent diseases had minimal impact on these associations, whereas adjustments for the behavioral risk factors of smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and body mass index substantially weakened the relations. Simultaneous risk factor adjustment eliminated the observed associations. Results show that high levels of hostility are associated with increased risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality and incident myocardial infarction and that these effects are mediated primarily through behavioral risk factors.

Determinants of compliance in men enrolled in a diet and exercise intervention trial: a randomized, controlled study

Determinants of compliance with a 6-month diet and exercise program were studied among 118 healthy middle-aged men with risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). Data were gathered via medical examinations, interviews and questionnaires. Smoking, high levels of hostility, perception of barriers to diet change and low knowledge of risk factors for CHD were linked to poor compliance with increased intake of dietary fiber. Poor compliance with low fat diet was linked with smoking, younger age and not having relatives or friends afflicted with CHD. Poor compliance with the exercise program tended to be associated with younger age and having children at home. Practice implications for health professionals who provide clinical and educational services for middle-aged men with slightly elevated CHD risk factors are discussed.

A Forensic Day Treatment Program for Personality-Disordered Criminal Offenders

The first forensic day treatment program in the Netherlands was started in February 1992 with a capacity of 10 clients. In this article, results of an ongoing evaluation study are presented. More than 40% of the clients had committed sexual offenses; the majority of the others had committed nonsexual crimes. 77Te clients exhibit symptoms of various personality disorders with high levels of hostility and general psychopathology. Assessment of treatment results reveals a substantial reduction of pathology, especially in terms of hostility and anxiety. However, a comparison of pretreatment test scores of dropouts with those of clients who have completed the program reveals that forensic day treatment may better suit the group of relatively older (225 years) child molesters with cluster C personality disorders. Younger offenders with cluster B personality disorders who had committed nonsexual crimes are over represented among the dropouts.

Interpersonal and self-reported hostility among combat veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder.

The present study investigated self-reported and interpersonal hostility in 70 Vietnam combat veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 60 comparison community volunteer subjects. Veterans were 50 help-seeking, male Vietnam combat veterans with PTSD and 20 non-help-seeking male combat veterans without PTSD. Vietnam veterans with PTSD not only reported more hostility than non-PTSD veterans and healthy community volunteers, but also reacted behaviorally with more hostility during an interpersonal interaction. Compared to veterans without PTSD, veterans with PTSD reported significantly higher levels of hostility and demonstrated significantly greater non-verbal expressions of hostility during an interpersonal task. These results suggest that the level of hostility in PTSD combat veterans may be high as compared to comparison groups. The implications of these results and possible research directions are presented.

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.

Defense styles, hostility, and psychological risk factors in male patients with personality disorders.

The purpose of this study was to compare ratings of defense styles and hostility in male patients with personality disorders, to determine whether either of these is related to a borderline diagnosis, or to specific psychological risk factors. Subjects with personality disorders were divided into borderline personality disorder (BPD) (N = 61) and non-BPD (N = 60) groups were given both the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) and the Buss-Durkee Guilt-Hostility Inventory (BDHI). Risk factors were measured by a developmental interview and the the Parental Bonding Index. The BPD group reported more maladaptive and image distorting defenses on the DSQ, as well as higher ratings on the BDHI. Ratings on both dependent measures were strongly related to diagnosis, and more weakly to measures of psychological risk factors. Thus, in men with personality disorders, immature defense styles and high levels of hostility are strongly associated with a borderline diagnosis.

Conflict and Withdrawal During Marital Interaction: The Roles of Hostility and Defensiveness

The present study examined the hypothesis that hostile and defensive personality characteristics contribute to conflict and withdrawal within an important social relationship, marriage. A total of 90 newly wed couples participated in a videotaped discussion concerning areas of disagreement in their marriage. Couples' interactions were coded using the Marital Interaction Coding System (MICS), and codes were aggregated to assess conflict engagement and withdrawal. Among husbands, the combination of high levels of hostility and low levels of defensiveness was associated with a greater percentage of conflict. Among wives, this same personality pattern was associated with a greater percentage of withdrawal Both of these findings held after controlling for marital satisfaction, highlighting the importance of personality for social interactions. Moreover, the results support the tenability of Smith's psychosocial vulnerability model of personality and health, which posits that certain personality characteristics are associated with negative interpersonal consequences that may heighten vulnerability to illness.

Parental hostility and its sources in psychologically abusive mothers: A test of the three-factor theory

A revised version of the three-factor theory of child abuse (Lesnik-Oberstein, Cohen, & Koers, 1982) is presented. Further, we report on a research designed to test three main hypotheses derived from Factor I (1) (a high level of hostility in abusive parents) and its sources. The three main hypotheses are: (1) that psychologically abusive mothers have a high level of hostile feelings (Factor I); (2) that the high level of hostile feelings in abusive mothers is associated with low marital coping skills (resulting in affectionless, violent marriages), a negative childhood upbringing (punitive, uncaring, over controlling), a high level of stress (objective stress), and a high level of strain (low self-esteem, depression, neurotic symptoms, social anxiety, feelings of being wronged); and (3) that maternal psychological child abuse is associated with low marital coping skills, a negative childhood upbringing, a high level of stress and a high level of strain. Forty-four psychologically abusing mothers were compared with 128 nonabusing mothers on a variety of measures and were matched for age and educational level. All the mothers had children who were hospitalized for medical symptoms. The three hypotheses were supported, with the exception of the component of hypothesis 2 concerning the association between objective stress and maternal hostility. The positive results are consistent with the three-factor theory.

Hostility and Nonshared Family Environment: A Study of Monozygotic Twins

A sample of 25 adult male monozygotic (Mz) twin pairs completed the Cook and Medley Hostility scale, and Structural Analysis of Social Behavior measures of their parents′ behavior toward them during childhood. Results indicated that high levels of hostile control and low levels of positive involvement from parents were associated with high levels of self-reported hostility. To rule out possible genetic influences on this covariation between parental behavior and hostility, co-twin difference scores for hostility and parental behavior were computed and correlated. The more hostile Mz co-twin described his parents as exhibiting a greater degree of hostile control. Thus, nongenetic variance in hostility was associated with perceived differences in early environments. Implications for the development of hostility and its association with health are discussed.

VI. “Contemporary Relations Among Nationalities in Ukraine”

A recent investigation of attitudes among nationalities living in Ukraine reveals a low level of tolerance and high level of hostility towards the non-Slavic nationalities. This was the foremost conclusion of Dr. Valentin Sazhin, who surveyed 10,000 residents of Ukraine on matters relating to ethnicity. Dr. Sazhin based his presentation on the findings from this investigation.

Hostility and health behaviors in young adults: the CARDIA Study. Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study.

Hostility has been associated with coronary heart disease mortality. To assess possible mechanisms linking hostility to coronary heart disease risk, the authors conducted analyses in a cross-sectional study from data collected in 1985 and 1986 on 5,115 young adults, aged 18-30 years, black and white, male and female, in four large urban areas of the United States. The results show that higher levels of hostility as determined by the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale were strongly associated with tobacco and marijuana smoking, increased alcohol consumption, and greater caloric intake in both blacks and whites and in both men and women. The increased caloric consumption was evident in the higher waist/hip ratios, particularly in men (p less than 0.05). The associations were particularly strong (p less than 0.001) for tobacco cigarette smoking and marijuana smoking, with roughly a 1.5 times higher prevalence in the top hostility quartile compared with the bottom quartile after adjusting for age and education. Hostility levels were not related to the percentage of calories from fat or from sucrose intake, to plasma cholesterol levels, or to physical fitness (except for a weak association in the latter in white women). The results describe relations between hostility and health behaviors that may be detrimental to health. The findings provide a possible explanation for the association between hostility and coronary heart disease mortality.

Cluster analysis of depressed college students' social behaviors.

Measures of interpersonal behaviors exhibited by depressed college students toward their dormitory roommates were cluster analyzed, and this procedure produced 2 relatively distinct subgroups: a dependent, friendly, overgenerous type and an autocratic, competitive, aggressive, mistrustful type. These 2 groups were studied over a 9-month period; findings revealed that behaviors associated with each cluster were relatively stable and unrelated to gender or initial symptom severity. In longitudinal analyses, depressives in one group showed symptom abatement across time, whereas symptoms of the other group remained elevated. The roommates of depressives exhibited relatively high levels of hostility and a progressive decline in social contact and satisfaction with their depressed cohabitant. The results are discussed in relation to other typological approaches to unipolar depression.

Indications of Depression and Distress in Divorce and Nondivorce Children Reflected by the Rorschach Test

The appearance of depressive features, as reflected by responses to the Rorschach test, were explored in two groups of children from divorced and nondivorced families (referred to here as divorce and nondivorce children). The relationships between the depression scores and the children's hostility, aggression, and anxiety levels were also studied. The Rorschach Inkblot Test was individually administered to a nonclinical sample of 108 Swedish school children between 10 and 12 years old. The subjects constituted two groups, a divorce group (27 girls, 27 boys) and a nondivorce group (27 girls, 27 boys). Divorce children scored significantly higher on Exner's (1986) Depression Index than their nondivorce peers. Furthermore, divorce children with depressive features in their Rorschach responses were found to have a high level of hostility and aggression (as manifested in their Rorschach protocols), whereas no such associations were found among nondivorce children.

The origins of black Hostility to the Police

British surveys show a much higher level of hostility to the police among Afro‐Caribbeans than among white people or Asians. This paper discusses the origins and significance of such hostility. It ...

Psychosocial assets and mental health of minority medical students

In this study, black, white, and Hispanic medical students are compared in terms of their psychosocial assets and mental health status when they entered medical school and after a year of medical training. The data show that the minority students entered medical school with some distinct advantages over the white students. The minority students reported greater social supports, higher self-esteem, lower anxiety, and more internal locus of control. After one year, however, the blacks manifested slightly lower self-esteem and higher levels of hostility and external locus of control. The Hispanics continued to report higher self-esteem and greater social supports but showed increased external locus of control and higher alcohol consumption. Policy implications for improvements in pre-entrance enrichment programs are discussed.