01-10-2005
Suppressed Hostility Predicted Hypertension Incidence Among Middle-Aged Men: The Normative Aging Study
Published in: Journal of Behavioral Medicine | Issue 5/2005
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This study tested whether suppressed hostility predicted incident hypertension (HTN) in initially nonhypertensive men, using prospective data from the Normative Aging Study. Six hundred twenty-seven men who completed the MMPI and participated in a subsequent laboratory assessment were included in the study. The Cook–Medley Hostility scale (Ho), a suppression factor, and other risk factors were used to predict incident HTN over a 3-year period. Logistic regression showed a significant three-way interaction among Ho, suppression, and age in predicting incident HTN. Among middle-aged men (≤60 years) with higher suppression, a 1-point decrease in the Ho score was associated with an 18% increase in HTN risk. This relationship remained significant after controlling for relevant risk factors. Among older participants, the Ho × Suppression interaction was not predictive of HTN incidence. These results provide support for the Suppressed Hostility hypothesis in middle-aged men.