title: The short-term effects of a hostility-reduction intervention on male coronary heart disease patients.
abstract: This preliminary study examined the effects of a hostility-reduction intervention on patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Twenty-two high-hostile CHD men were matched on age and hostility and then randomly assigned to a hostility intervention (N = 10) or an information-control group (N = 12). Patients were reassessed immediately and 2 months posttreatment on hostility (with self-report and structured interview) and resting blood pressure. The intervention's overall effect size was moderately strong (d' = .62). Intervention patients reported at both reassessments and were observed at follow-up to be less hostile than controls. At follow-up, intervention patients had significantly lower diastolic blood pressure (DBP) than controls. Finally, reductions in hostility were significantly and positively correlated with reductions in DBP. Replication with a larger sample and CHD outcomes is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology of Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University, Be'er Sheeba, Israel. yorig@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gidron
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bata
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory