[Association of anger expression patterns and health status in health care workers].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine anger-expression patterns and their association with state and trait anger and physical and psychological health status in health care workers.


METHODS
Four hundred and forty eight nurses, physicians and technicians from a large medical center completed standardized questionnaires of anger, anger-expression patterns and mood. They also had blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and body mass index measured during their annual physical examinations. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, chi-square and ANOVA.


RESULTS
Subjects showed two major clusters of anger-expression patterns: anger-control and anger-in/out. Subjects with the anger-in/out pattern reported higher state and trait anger and more anxiety, depression and fatigue than subjects with the anger-control pattern. Physical health indicators, however, were not significantly different between the two clusters of anger-expression patterns.


CONCLUSIONS
Anger-expression patterns are associated with psychological health status but not with physical health status. Anger-expression patterns, however, need to be examined over time to assess their long-term effects on the physical and psychological health status in future studies.
Lee
Won-Hee
WH
The Nursing Policy Research Institute, College of Nursing, Yonsei University, Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752, Korea. leewhn508@yumc.yonsei.ac.kr
Kang
Duck-Hee
DH
Park
Jin-Hee
JH
Kim
Soo-Hyun
SH
Min
Sung-Gil
SG
Nho
Jae-Hun
JH
D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D019260:Expressed Emotion; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*