Hostility patterns and cardiovascular reactivity to stress

Sixty male subjects performed two challenging tasks while systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate were monitored. They also completed the Cook and Medley Hostility Scale and measures of social support and mode of anger expression. Subgroups of subjects who differed in the patterns of their responses to the hostility items were identified via cluster analytic techniques. Exaggerated reactivity in systolic blood pressure to the two experimental tasks was exhibited by subjects in a subgroup who appear to have negative feelings toward people, but disavow these feelings and inhibit aggression so as not to alienate others. However, these individuals may have difficulty concealing their view of others and controlling their anger which, in turn, may erode their social support.