Abstract
In equal sized samples, a strong association between a positive Family History of Early Coronary Heart Disease (FamHx) and early Age at Initial Diagnosis (AAID) was found only for males, and thus all further analyses were restricted to males. All three scales of the self-report version of the Ketterer Stress Symptom Frequency Checklist—Revised (KSSFCR)—“AIAI” (or aggravation, irritation, anger, and impatience), Depression, and Anxiety—were associated with both a positive FamHx and early AAID. A series of regression models was used to demonstrate that the KSSFCR scales may plausibly account for 22–32% of the variance in the relationship between a positive FamHx and early AAID. Because of previously documented denial in males, the analyses were repeated in a subgroup of males for whom Spouse/Friend KSSFCRs were obtained. Spouse/Friend-reported AIAI was related to both early FamHx and early AAID, and could account for 68% of the common variance.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beck, A. T., Ward, C. H., Mendelsohn, M., Mock, J., and Erbaugh, J. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 4: 561-571.
Bouchard, T. J., Lykken, D. T., McGue, M., Segal, N. L., and Tellegen, A. (1990). Sources of human psychological differences: The Minnesota study of twins reared apart. Science 250: 223-228.
Carmelli, D., Rosenman, R. H., and Swan, G. E. (1988). The Cook and Medley Ho Scale: A heritibility analysis in adult male twins. Psychosom. Med. 50: 165-174.
Carmelli, D., Swan, G. E., and Rosenman, R. H. (1990). The heritibility of the Cook and Medley Hostility Scale revisited. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 5: 107-116.
Cates, D. S., Houston, B. K., Vavak, C. R., Crawford, M. H., and Uttley, M. (1993). Heritibility of hostility-related emotions, attitudes and behaviors. J. Behav. Med. 16 (3): 237-255.
Chang, P. P., Ford, D. E., Meoni, L. A., Wang, N.-Y., and Klag, M. J. (2002). Anger in young men and subsequent premature cardiovascular disease. Arch. Intern. Med. 162: 901-906.
Costa, P. T., Zonderman, A. B., McCrae, R. R., and Williams, R. B. (1986). Cynicism and paranoid alienation in the Cook and Medley Ho Scale. Psychosom. Med. 48: 283-285.
Crown, S., and Crisp, A. A. (1966). A short clinical diagnostic self rating scale for psychoneurotic patients: The Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire. Br. J. Psychiatry 112: 917-923.
Denollet, J. (1998). Personality and coronary heart disease: The Type-D Scale 16 (DS16). Ann. Behav. Med. 20 (3): 209-215.
Dusseldorp, E., van Elderen, T., Maes, S., Meulman, J., and Kraaij, V. (1999). A meta-analysis of psychoeducational programs for coronary heart disease patients. Health Psychol. 18 (5): 506-519.
Farmer, J. A., and Gotto, A. M. (1997). Dyslipidemia and other risk factors for coronary artery disease. In Braunwald, E. (Eds.), Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, Saunders, Philadelphia, pp. 1126-1160.
Ketterer, M. W. (1992). Denial specific to friedman's pathogenic emotions in Jenkins activity survey type a and angiography-referred males. Psychosomatics 33 (1): 72-80.
Ketterer, M. W., Denollet, J., Chapp, J., Thayer, B., Keteyian, S., Clark, V., John, S., Farha, A. J., and Deveshwar, S. (2002a). Sex differences in the psychometric correlates of early onset ICHD. Psychosom. Med. 64: 171(#350).
Ketterer, M. W., Denollet, J., Goldberg, A. D., McCullough, P. A., John, S., Farha, A. J., Clark, V., Keteyian, S., Chapp, J., Thayer, B., and Deveshwar, S. (2002b). The big mush: Psychometric measures are confounded and nonindependent in their association with age at initial diagnosis of ICHD. J. Cardiovasc. Risk 9 (1): 41-48.
Ketterer, M. W., Fitzgerald, F., Thayer, B., Moraga, R., Mahr, G., Keteyian, S., McGowan, C., Stein, P., and Goldberg, A. D. (2000a). Psychosocial and traditional risk factors in early ischemic heart disease: Cross-sectional correlates. J. Cardiovasc. Risk 7: 409-413.
Ketterer, M. W., Freedland, K. E., Krantz, D. S., Kaufmann, P., Forman, S., Greene, A., Raczynski, J., Knatterud, G., Light, K., Carney, R. M., Stone, P., Becker, L., and Sheps, D. S. for the PIMI Investigators. (2000b). Psychological correlates of mental stress induced ischemia in the laboratory: The psychophysiological investigation of myocardial ischemia (PIMI) study. J. Health Psychol. 5 (1): 75-85.
Ketterer, M. W., Huffman, J., Lumley, M. A., Wassef, S., Gray, L., Kenyon, L., Kraft, P., Brymer, J., Rhoads, K., Lovallo, W. R., and Goldberg, A. D. (1998). Five year follow up for adverse outcomes in males with at least minimally positive angiograms: The importance of “denial” in assessing psychosocial risk factors. J. Psychosom. Res. 44 (2): 241-250.
Ketterer, M. W., Kenyon, L., Foley, B. A., Brymer, J., Rhoads, K., Kraft, P., and Lovallo, W. R. (1996). Denial of depression as an independent correlate of coronary artery disease. J. Health Psychol. 1 (1): 93-105.
Ketterer, M. W., Lovallo, W. R., and Lumley, M. A. (1993). Quantifying the density of friedman's pathogenic emotions (AIAI). Int. J. Psychosom. 40(1–4): 22-28.
Ketterer, M. W., and Maercklein, G. H. (1992). The association of friedman's pathogenic emotions (AIAI) with current smoking, but not smoking history, in males suspected of coronary artery disease (CAD). Stress Med. 8: 99-103.
Ketterer, M. W., Mahr, G., and Goldberg, A. D. (2000c). Psychological factors affecting a medical condition: Ischemic coronary heart disease. J. Psychosom. Res. 48: 357-367.
Kneip, R. C., Delamater, A. M., Ismond, T., Milford, C., Salvia, L., and Schwartz, D. (1993). Self and spouse ratings of anger and hostility as predictors of coronary heart disease. Health Psychol. 12: 301-307.
Matthews, K. A., Rosenman, R. H., Dembroski, T. M., Harris, E., and MacDougall, J. M. (1984). Familial resemblance in components of the type a behavior pattern: A reanalysis of the California twin study. Psychosom. Med. 46: 512-522.
Morell, V. (1993). Evidence found for a possible “aggression gene.” Science 260: 1722-1723.
Pederson, N. L., Liechtenstein, P., Plomin, R., DeFaire, U., McClearn, G. E., and Matthews, K. A. (1989). Genetic and environmental influences for type a like measures and related traits: A study of twins reared apart and twins reared together. Psychosom. Med. 51: 428-440.
Plomin, R. (1990). The role of inheritance in behavior. Science 248: 183-188.
Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C., and McClearn, G. E. (1980). Behavioral Genetics: A Primer, Freeman, New York.
Pyeritz, R. E. (1997). Genetics and cardiovascular disease. In Braunwald, E. (Eds.), Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, Saunders, Philadelphia, pp. 1650-1686.
Raynor, D. A., Pogue-Geile, M. F., Kamarck, T. W., McCaffery, J. M., and Manuck, S. B. (2002). Covariation of psychosocial characteristics associated with cardiovascular disease: Genetic and environmental influences. Psychosom. Med. 64: 191-203.
Rose, R. J. (1988). Genetic and environmental variance in content dimensions of the MMPI. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 55: 302-311.
Siegman, A. W., Townsend, S. T., Blumenthal, R. S., Sorkin, J. D., and Civelek, A. C. (1998). Dimensions of anger and CHD in men and women: Self-ratings versus spouse ratings. J. Behav. Med. 21 (4): 315-336.
Smith, T. W., McGonigle, M., Turner, C. W., Ford, M. H., and Slattery, M. L. (1991). Cynical hostility in adult male twins. Psychosom. Med. 53: 684-692.
Sullivan, P. F., Eaves, L. J., Kendler, K. S., and Neale, M. C. (2001). Genetic case-control association studies in neuropsychiatry. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 58: 1015-1024.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ketterer, M.W., Denollet, J., Chapp, J. et al. Familial Transmissability of Early Age at Initial Diagnosis in Coronary Heart Disease (CHD): Males Only, and Mediated by Psychosocial/Emotional Distress?. J Behav Med 27, 1–10 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOBM.0000013640.69802.fa
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOBM.0000013640.69802.fa