The Role of Hostility in Hypertension

Background and Purpose: Research on a potential link between hostility and cardiovascular disease has received considerable attention. This study examines the association between the components of hostility and hypertension and explores the relative risk of psychosocial factors including hostility, daily hassles, social support and health behaviors to essential hypertension. Methods: A purposive sampling of 46 hypertensive and 41 healthy subjects at the outpatient clinic of the Department of Family Medicine was conducted. The subjects were assessed using several structured questionnaires. The survey was desgined to collect information regarding health behaviors, perceived daily stress, social support and measures of hostility by Daily Hassles Scale, Social Support Scale and Hostility Inventory. Data were analyzed using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression. Results: There were no significant differences in health behavior or the mean score of any psychosocial variable, including hostile cognition, affect and behavior, and daily stress and social support between hypertensive and healthy subjects. However, family history of hypertension was a significant variable among hypertensive subjects (78.3% vs. 29.3%) (p＜0.001), demonstrating significant predictive power. The relative risk to hypertension was ten-fold (OR=10.07, 95% CI=3.09-32.86). Conclusion: This study indicates that family history of hypertension rather than hostility plays a significant role in the development of hypertension. However, assessing psychosocial factors and providing effective coping strategies to daily stress, particularly for people with positive family history, is essential.