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The Incremental Validity of Self-Report and Performance-Based Methods for Assessing Hostility to Predict

Gregory J Meyer1, Nicholas J Katko2, Joni L Mihura1

  • 1a Department of Psychology , University of Toledo.

Journal of Personality Assessment
|April 19, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Assessing hostility using multiple methods can predict premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD). High aggressive imagery combined with self-reported hostility significantly increased CVD and CHD risk in a long-term study.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Preventive Medicine
  • Cardiology

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD) pose significant health risks.
  • Identifying early risk factors for CVD and CHD is crucial for preventive medicine.
  • Hostility and anger have been implicated as potential contributors to cardiovascular risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate an integrative, multimethod approach for assessing hostility-related constructs.
  • To determine if hostility assessment predicts premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD).
  • To explore the utility of multimethod assessment in health psychology and preventive medicine.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized participants from the Johns Hopkins Precursors Study (N = 416), assessed during medical school (1946-1962).
  • Employed individually administered Rorschach protocols scored for aggressive imagery (Aggressive Content, Aggressive Past).
  • Included self-report measures of anger responses to stress; analyzed using Cox regression analyses.

Main Results:

  • A significant interaction effect was found: high Aggressive Content and high self-reported hostility predicted increased rates of premature CVD and CHD.
  • This predictive relationship remained significant after controlling for smoking and cholesterol levels.
  • Hostility and anger measures at baseline did not predict CVD risk factors assessed at midlife.

Conclusions:

  • An integrative, multimethod assessment of hostility can effectively predict premature cardiovascular and coronary heart disease.
  • This approach highlights the value of combining projective tests and self-reports for understanding health risks.
  • Findings support the integration of psychological assessments into preventive cardiology strategies.

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