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Cook-Medley Hostility scale and subsets: relationship to demographic and psychosocial characteristics in young adults
L Scherwitz1, L Perkins, M Chesney
1Department of Dental Public Health and Hygiene, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
Insights
Hostility (Ho) scale scores varied significantly by race, education, gender, and age in young adults. Lower education and being a young Black male were linked to higher hostility, potentially increasing coronary heart disease (CHD) risk.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cardiology
- Sociology
Background:
- Hostility is a personality trait linked to adverse health outcomes.
- Previous research suggests demographic factors influence hostility levels.
- Understanding these associations is crucial for identifying at-risk populations for coronary heart disease (CHD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationships between Cook-Medley Hostility (Ho) scale scores and demographic variables (race, education, gender, age).
- To explore potential psychosocial pathways linking demographic factors to coronary heart disease (CHD) risk.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 5115 young adult participants in a prospective study.
- Assessment of Cook-Medley Hostility (Ho) scale scores.
- Statistical examination of correlations between Ho scores and demographic factors, life events, and social support.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in Ho scale scores were observed across race, education, gender, and age groups.
- Young Black males with limited education exhibited the highest Ho scores (mean = 26.2).
- Older white females with higher education reported the lowest Ho scores (mean = 15.5).
- Education was inversely associated with hostility across all subgroups.
- Higher Ho scores correlated with negative life events and lower social support.
Conclusions:
- Demographic factors, particularly race, education, and gender, are significantly associated with hostility levels.
- Hostility may mediate increased coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in males, less educated individuals, and Black individuals compared to females, more educated individuals, and White individuals, respectively.
- Psychosocial vulnerability, characterized by negative life events and low social support, is linked to higher hostility.
Abstract:
This report describes the relationships between scores obtained on the Cook-Medley Hostility (Ho) scale and race, education, gender, and age in a sample of 5115 young adult participants in a prospective study of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors. Large differences were observed in total Ho scale scores and in six recently identified subsets according to race, education, gender, and age. Young black males with limited education had the highest Ho scale levels (mean = 26.2) while older white females with more education had the lowest levels (mean = 15.5). In all subgroups, education was inversely associated with hostility. The findings suggest a possible mechanism whereby CHD risk is higher in males than females, in the less educated than the more educated, and in blacks than whites. In all race and gender subgroups, total Ho scale scores and the six subsets were positively correlated with negative life events and negatively correlated with social support, supporting a pattern of psychosocial vulnerability found in other studies.