Suppressed hostility predicted hypertension incidence among middle-aged men: the normative aging study

Abstract

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 (<or=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 HoxSuppression interaction was not predictive of HTN incidence. These results provide support for the Suppressed Hostility hypothesis in middle-aged men.