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Cardiovascular Response to Interpersonal Provocation and Mental Arithmetic among High and Low Hostile Young Adult Males

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Abstract

To examine the relation between hostility and cardiovascular reactivity to stress, 42 undergraduate men were categorized into high and low hostile groups based on responses to the Cook Medley Hostility Scale. Participants engaged in two laboratory tasks: a Cognitive Task (mental arithmetic) and a Social Task (confrontation role-play). Cardiovascular measures of heart rate and blood pressure were obtained throughout rest and task periods and participants provided ratings of state anger and forgiveness following task completion. Results revealed that low hostile participants exhibited greater systolic blood pressure (SBP) responses to both tasks than high hostile participants (p < .05), but no significant group differences were observed for heart rate or diastolic blood pressure. High hostile men reported greater state anger during resting conditions and less forgiveness following completion of tasks than low-hostile counterparts, but neither of these findings moderated the relation between hostility and SBP reactivity. Higher ratings of forgiveness were associated with lower SBP reactivity. These findings show that hostility is not always associated with exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity to stress, and the influence of various moderating factors should be considered in elucidating this relation.

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted as a dissertation project of the first author, in partial fulfillment for requirements for a doctoral degree from West Virginia University. The authors would like to thank Sean O’Quinn, Benjamin Parker, and Brittany Morgan for their invaluable assistance in conducting this study. Funding for this study was provided by a Graduate Student Dissertation Research Grant from the Alumni Affairs Office of West Virginia University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Life Sciences Building, 53 Campus Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506-6040, USA

    Danielle H. Hernandez, Kevin T. Larkin & Matthew C. Whited

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  1. Danielle H. Hernandez
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  2. Kevin T. Larkin
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  3. Matthew C. Whited
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Correspondence to Kevin T. Larkin.

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Hernandez, D.H., Larkin, K.T. & Whited, M.C. Cardiovascular Response to Interpersonal Provocation and Mental Arithmetic among High and Low Hostile Young Adult Males. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 34, 27–35 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-009-9076-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-009-9076-3

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