Psychometric properties of the Cook Medley hostility scale and its association with inflammatory markers in African Americans

Hostility and prevalent diabetes among black adults: The Jackson Heart Study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The relationship between hostility and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) among black adults was investigated using the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) cohort. We hypothesized that Cook-Medley Hostility scores will be positively related with the prevalence of DM.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A total of 3232 black adults who completed at least one question for each of the three subscales of the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale and had data available regarding DM status were included. Using multivariate logistic regression, we studied the cross-sectional relationship between the overall Total Cook-Medley Hostility scores and individual subscales, hostile affect (n = 3232), aggression (n = 3119) and cynical distrust (n = 3085), with prevalent DM, adjusting for known DM confounders. Our population was 36% male with a mean age of 53.5 ± 0.9 years. In risk-factor adjusted models, each point higher in the overall Total Cook-Medley Hostility scores was associated with increased odds of having DM [Adjusted OR 1.02, 95%CI 1.00-1.04, P = 0.03]. Higher scores of cynicism were independently associated with prevalent DM [Adjusted OR 1.04, 95%CI 1.01-1.07, p = 0.021].

CONCLUSIONS

There was a positive relationship between overall hostility levels and prevalent DM. Future studies should investigate the extent to which additional social determinants may impact the relationship between hostile affect and prevalent DM.

Inflammation and Trauma-Related Psychopathology in Syrian and Iraqi Refugees

Refugees experience high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression due to exposure to civilian war trauma and forced migration. Inflammatory products may offer viable biological indicators of trauma-related psychopathology in this cohort, promoting rapid and objective assessment of psychopathology. Incoming Syrian and Iraqi refugees (n = 36) ages 18-65 completed self-report measures of PTSD, anxiety, and depression and provided saliva samples during an assessment at a primary care clinic within the first month of resettlement in the United States. Interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and C-reactive protein (CRP) differentially correlated with symptom severity by domain, and there was a non-significant trend for sex moderating the relation between inflammation and PTSD symptoms. Our findings show unique relations between trauma-related psychopathology and inflammation. There is a need for further research in diverse ethnic cohorts with differential trauma exposures for inflammation to be considered a biological indicator of psychopathology.

Psychological Profiles in the Prediction of Leukocyte Telomere Length in Healthy Individuals

BACKGROUND

Shorter telomere length (TL) may signal premature cellular aging and increased risk for disease. While depression and psychosocial stress have been associated with shorter telomeres, other psychological risk factors for cardiovascular disease have received less attention.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the association between TL and psychological risk factors (symptoms of anxiety and depression, hostility and defensiveness traits) for heart disease, and to examine whether chronological age and sex moderate the associations observed.

METHODS

132 healthy men and women (Mage = 45.34 years) completed the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory II, The Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale. Relative TL was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of total genomic DNA samples. A series of hierarchical linear regressions were performed controlling for pertinent covariates.

RESULTS

Shorter TL was observed among individuals high in defensiveness (β = -.221) and depressive symptoms (β = -.213), as well as in those with less hostility (β =.256) and anxiety (β =.220)(all Ps<.05). Psychological variables explained 19% of the variance over and above that explained by covariates (age, sex, exercise, alcohol consumption, systemic inflammation, and 24-hr mean arterial pressure). Age moderated the relation between TL and defensiveness (β =.179, p =.03). Sex did not influence any of the relations.

CONCLUSIONS

Telomere length is associated with psychological burden though the direction of effect differs depending on the psychological variables under study. Further research is needed to determine the reasons for and implications of these seemingly contradictory findings.