Role of hostility in women's health during midlife: a longitudinal study

Relationships between hostility at ages 21, 27, 43, and 52 years old and general health at age 52 were investigated in a longitudinal sample of educated midlife women. Hostility was assessed at ages 21 and 27 using the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale (HO), and at all four test sessions using a California Psychological Inventory (CPI) derived hostility scale consisting of 33 CPI items that were either duplicates or close equivalents of HO items. Hostility at each age was negatively correlated with general health at age 52. Further analyses revealed that hostility at each age remained a significant health predictor at age 52 when possible mediator variables at age 43 (cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol intake, body mass index, negative life events, and social role satisfactions) were controlled.