Defensive hostility and anger expression: relationship to additional heart rate reactivity during active coping

Area of Science:

• Psychophysiology
• Cardiovascular Reactivity Research
• Behavioral Medicine

Background:

• Hostility is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
• The interplay between hostility, defensiveness, and physiological responses requires further clarification.
• Understanding anger expression may refine models of hostility and health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between defensive hostility and heart rate reactivity during active coping.
• To investigate if anger-out expression enhances the predictive power of the defensive hostility model.
• To identify subgroups with distinct cardiovascular reactivity patterns based on hostility and anger expression.

Main Methods:

• Forty participants completed a mental arithmetic task under threat of shock or no threat.
• Measures included the Cook-Medley Hostility Inventory (Ho), Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MC), and Spielberger Anger Expression Scale.
• Heart rate reactivity was assessed during the active coping task.

Main Results:

• Defensive hostile individuals (high Ho/high MC) exhibited significantly greater heart rate reactivity.
• A subgroup with low hostility (low Ho) and high anger-out scores demonstrated significantly lower reactivity.
• These findings highlight specific hostility and anger expression profiles associated with cardiovascular responses.

Conclusions:

• Defensive hostility is associated with heightened cardiovascular reactivity.
• Anger-out expression, particularly in low-hostility individuals, may buffer cardiovascular reactivity.
• The study clarifies the complex links between hostility, anger expression, and physiological responses.