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Keeping hostility in perspective: coronary heart disease and the Hostility Scale on the Minnesota Multiphasic
T Maruta1, M E Hamburgen, C A Jennings
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905.
Insights
High hostility scores on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) were initially linked to coronary heart disease (CHD). However, this study found the MMPI Hostility (Ho) scale was not a significant predictor of CHD when age and sex were considered.
Area of Science:
- Psychological Medicine
- Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology
Background:
- Previous research in the 1980s suggested a link between high Hostility (Ho) scores on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and increased coronary heart disease (CHD) risk.
- The Hostility (Ho) scale of the MMPI is a psychological assessment tool.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the long-term association between MMPI Hostility (Ho) scores and subsequent health outcomes, specifically coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence and mortality.
- To determine if the MMPI Ho score remains a significant predictor of CHD after accounting for established risk factors.
Main Methods:
- A 20-year follow-up study of 620 general medical patients who completed the MMPI between 1962 and 1965.
- Univariate analysis was performed to assess the predictive value of the Ho score for CHD, CHD mortality, and total mortality.
- Multivariate analysis considered age and sex as covariates alongside the Ho score.
Main Results:
- Univariate analysis indicated that MMPI Ho scores significantly predicted the development of CHD, CHD-related mortality, and total mortality.
- However, when age and sex were included in the analysis, the MMPI Ho score lost its statistical significance as a predictor for these outcomes.
Conclusions:
- While initial univariate analyses suggest a link between hostility and cardiovascular outcomes, the MMPI Hostility (Ho) score is not an independent predictor of CHD risk.
- Established demographic risk factors like age and sex are more significant in predicting coronary heart disease outcomes than MMPI Ho scores in this patient cohort.
Abstract:
Three prospective studies from the early 1980s found that high scores on the Hostility (Ho) Scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) were associated with an increased incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and mortality from CHD and other causes. In the current study, the association between the Ho score and subsequent health status was examined in a 20-year follow-up of 620 general medical patients who completed the MMPI between 1962 and 1965. Univariately, the Ho score from the MMPI was a significant factor for predicting the development of CHD, CHD-related mortality, and total mortality. When two simple risk factors for CHD--age and sex--were also considered, however, the MMPI Ho score was no longer a significant predictive factor.