Suppressed hostility predicted hypertension incidence among middle-aged men: The normative aging study
Abstract
This study tested whether suppressed hostility predicted incident hypertension (HTN) in initially nonhypertensive men, using prospective data from the Normative Aging Study. Six hundred twenty-seven men who completed the MMPI and participated in a subsequent laboratory assessment were included in the study. The Cook-Medley Hostility scale (Ho), a suppression factor, and other risk factors were used to predict incident HTN over a 3-year period. Logistic regression showed a significant three-way interaction among Ho, suppression, and age in predicting incident HTN. Among middle-aged men (≤60 years) with higher suppression, a 1-point decrease in the Ho score was associated with an 18% increase in HTN risk. This relationship remained significant after controlling for relevant risk factors. Among older participants, the Ho x Suppression interaction was not predictive of HTN incidence. These results provide support for the Suppressed Hostility hypothesis in middle-aged men. © 2005 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.
Publication Title
Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Recommended Citation
Zhang, J., Niaura, R., Todaro, J., McCaffery, J., Shen, B., Spiro, A., & Ward, K. (2005). Suppressed hostility predicted hypertension incidence among middle-aged men: The normative aging study. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 28 (5), 443-454. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-005-9016-5
