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Angry breathing: A prospective study of hostility and lung function in the Normative Aging Study
L D Kubzansky1, D Sparrow, B Jackson
1Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Lkubzans@hsph.harvard.edu
Thorax
|September 5, 2006
Summary
Hostility is linked to reduced lung function and faster decline in older men. This prospective study shows a significant association between higher hostility and poorer pulmonary function over time.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Hostility and anger are risk factors for various health issues in older adults, including cardiovascular diseases and mortality.
- Negative emotions, like hostility, may play a role in the progression of chronic airways obstruction and decline in pulmonary function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that hostility contributes to a faster rate of decline in lung function among older adults.
- To prospectively examine the effect of hostility on changes in pulmonary function over time.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study using data from the VA Normative Aging Study, a cohort of older men.
- Hostility measured using the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale (50-item MMPI) in 670 participants.
- Pulmonary function assessed via spirometry, measuring forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) over an average of 8.2 years.
Main Results:
- Higher hostility was associated with significantly reduced baseline pulmonary function (FEV1 and FVC) (p < 0.01).
- Hostility remained a significant predictor of reduced lung function after adjusting for smoking and education.
- Each standard deviation increase in hostility correlated with an approximate loss of 9 ml/year in FEV1, indicating a faster decline.
Conclusions:
- This study provides prospective evidence that hostility is associated with poorer pulmonary function in older men.
- Hostility is linked to more rapid rates of pulmonary function decline in this aging male cohort.
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