Relationship of Hostility and Heart Disease

The California School of Professional Psychology

The study of coronary heart disease (CHD) has led to major changes in beliefs regarding risk factor modification. Standard allopathic care in the United States has, until recently, been crisis-oriented: focusing on treating symptoms without addressing the underlying physical and emotional causes of the illness. Research in the last four years has demonstrated that, although physical risk factors of CHD (such as cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and high blood sugar) are highly significant, they do not fully explain the nature of this illness (Sinatra, 1996). Research studies have confirmed the dominant role of psychological, emotional and metabolic stress in the etiology of heart disease, and have shown the regression of atherosclerosis through modification of these physical, emotional, and spiritual variables (Allan, 1996). Studies have shown a significant reduction in cardiac problems with a reversal of angiographic evidence of atherosclerosis for patients who adhered to a program of radical lifestyle changes which pertained to diet and exercise with the

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ession ("anger-in"), but only in the context of a work environment perceived as hostile and tense. In a subsequent study of 119 Finnish men, high levels of cynical hostility in conjunction with anger control predicted the progression of CHD over two years (Julkunen, 1996). The author speculates that the mechanism may lie in the tension created by frequent anger arousal combined with a tendency toward strict control of emotions. A study of 252 male and 65 female managers in the Canadian public sector found the combination of high cynical distrust and anger suppression related to low social support (Greenglass, 1996). Participants exhibiting the profile of high Ho and anger-in reported less support from family members and less trust in their personal relationships. These findings correspond to the earlier results of Smith and Frohm (1985). Greenglass (1996) suggests that the suppression of intense, angry feelings "gives rise to impatience and irritability, which may contribute to antagonistic interpersonal relationships, thus precluding the development of relationships that provide useful social resources" (p. 219). In the pioneer study of Matthews and colleagues, the outward display of anger, rather than anger control or s
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Approximate Word count = 9216
Approximate Pages = 37 (250 words per page)

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