EXPRESSIVE, BUT NOT NEUROTIC HOSTILITY IS RELATED TO CARDIOVASCULAR REACTIVITY DURING A HOSTILE COMPETITIVE TASK

Several dimensions of hostility have been related to coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular (CV) reactivity. Neuroticism and dimensions of hostility associated with neuroticism have generally been unrelated to CHD. The present study examined relationships between the expressive and neurotic hostility components of the Buss Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI) and CV reactivity in 25 men and 18 women undergraduate students. Subjects competed against and were harassed by a confederate during competition on a video game. Subjects with expressive hostility scores above the median had higher SBP and heart rate (HR) reactivity than subjects with scores below the median. Neurotic hostility was not related to CV reactivity. The results support the hypothesis that CV reactivity may be a risk factor in the development of CHD and suggest that attempts to relate dimensions of hostility to CV reactivity may be more successful if dimensions of hostility unrelated to neuroticism are studied.