Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Psychosocial variables, age, and angiographically-determined coronary artery disease in women

  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

The present study explored the relationship between psychosocial measures and the degree of coronary stenosis in a sample of 59 women between the ages of 39 and 84. Coronary occlusion was correlated with elevated cholesterol and marginally correlated with age and was inversely associated with years of education. Based on hierarchical multiple regression, an interview-based measure of hostility was associated with coronary stenosis after controlling for traditional risk factors, and age moderated the hostility-stenosis relationship. Further a second regression model suggested that trait anxiety was inversely correlated with degree of occlusion, perhaps because low-anxious women are referred for catheterization later in the course of the disease. Contrary to hypotheses, there was no evidence that repression of interview-based hostility or anxiety predicted coronary occlusion. Given the small sample size, results should be considered preliminary. Future studies should explore the degree to which anxiety and hostility are associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in larger samples of women and the degree to which age moderates the hostility-occlusion association.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Becker RC, Corrao JM: Cardiovascular disease in women: Scope of the problem.Cardiology. 1990,77(Suppl. 2): 6–7.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Wenger N: Coronary heart disease in women: Needs and opportunities. In Czajkowski SM, Hill DR, Clarkson TB (eds),Women, Behavior, and Cardiovascular Disease. Proceedings of an NHLBI Conference. NIH Publication #94-3309. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bild DE: Overview of cardiovascular disease risk factors in women. In Czajkowski SM, Hill DR, Clarkson TB (eds),Women, Behavior, and Cardiovascular Disease. Proceedings of an NHLBI Conference. NIH Publication #94-3309. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Blumenthal SJ, Matthews KA: Psychosocial aspects of cardiovascular disease in women: Introduction and overview.Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 1993,15(2/3): 109–112.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Eaker ED, Pinsky J, Castelli WP: Myocardial infarction and coronary death among women: Psychosocial predictors from a 20-year follow-up of women in the Framingham Study.American Journal of Epidemiology. 1992,135: 854–864.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hallstrom T, Lapidus L, Bengtsson C, Edstroem K: Psychosocial factors and risk of ischemic heart disease and death in women: A 12-year follow-up of participants in the population study of women in Gothenburg, Sweden.Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 1986,30: 451–459.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Shekelle RB, Gale M, Norusis M: Type A score (Jenkins Activity Survey) and risk of recurrent coronary heart disease in the Aspirin Myocardial Infarction Study.American Journal of Cardiology. 1985,56: 221–225.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Low KG, Thoresen CE, Pattillo J, King AC, Jenkins C: Anxiety, depression and heart disease in women.International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 1994,1: 305–319.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Powell L, Shaker LA, Jones BA, et al: Psychosocial predictors of mortality in 83 women with premature myocardial infarction.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1993,55: 426–433.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Miller TQ, Turner CW, Tindale RS, Posavac EJ, Dugoni BL: Reasons for the trend toward null findings in research on Type A behavior.Psychological Bulletin. 1991,110: 469–485.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Friedman HS, Tucker JS, Riese SP: Personality dimensions and measures potentially relevant to health: A focus on hostility.Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 1995,17: 245–253.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Barefoot JC, Dahlstrom WG, Williams Jr. RB: Hostility, CHD incidence, and total mortality: A 25-year follow-up study of 255 physicians.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1983,45: 59–63.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Helmers KF, Krantz DS, Howell RH, et al: Hostility and myocardial ischemia in coronary artery disease patients: Evaluation by gender and ischemic index.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1993,55: 29–36.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Dembroski TM, MacDougall JM, Costa Jr. PT, Grandits GA: Components of hostility as predictors of sudden death and myocardial infarction in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1989,51: 514–522.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Siegman AW, Dembroski T, Ringel N: Components of hostility and severity of coronary artery disease.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1987,49: 127–135.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Kniep RC, Delamater AM, Ismond T, et al: Self and spouse ratings of anger and hostility as predictors of coronary heart disease.Health Psychology. 1993,12: 301–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Lawler KA, Harralson TL, Armstead CA, Schmied LA: Gender and cardiovascular responses: What is the role of hostility?Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 1993,37: 603–613.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Suarez EC, Harlan E, Peoples MC, Williams RB: Cardiovascular and emotional responses in women: The role of hostility and harssment.Health Psychology. 1993,12: 459–468.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Helmers KF, Krantz DS: Defensive hostility, gender, and cardiovascular levels and responses to stress.Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 1996,18: 246–254.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Smith TW: Hostility and health: Current status of a psychosomatic hypothesis.Health Psychology. 1992,11: 139–150.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Musante L, Treiber FA, Davis H, Strong WB, Levy MB: Hostility: Relationship to lifestyle behaviors and physical risk factors.Behavioral Medicine. 1992,18: 21–26.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Dujovne VF, Houston BK: Hostility-related variables and plasma lipid levels.Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 1991,14: 555–565.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Lundberg U, Hendman M, Melin B, Frankenhauser M: Type A behavior in healthy males and females as related to physiological reactivity and blood lipids.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1989,51: 113–122.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Weidner G, Sexton G, McLellarn R, Connor SL, Matarazzo JD: The role of Type A behavior and hostility in elevation of plasma lipids in adult women and men.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1987,48: 136–145.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Williams Jr. RB, Honey TL, Kee KL, et al: Type A behavior, hostility, and coronary atherosclerosis.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1980,42: 539–548.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Helmer DC, Ragland DR, Syme SL: Hostility and coronary artery disease.American Journal of Epidemiology. 1991,133: 112–122.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Helmers KF, Krantz DS, Merz CNB, et al: Defensive hostility: Relationship to multiple markers of cardiac ischemia in patients with coronary disease.Health Psychology. 1995,14: 202–209.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Newton TL, Contrada RJ: Repressive coping an verbal-autonomic response dissociation: The influence of social context.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1992,62: 159–167.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. King AC, Taylor CB, Albright C, Haskell WL: The relationship between repressive and defensive coping styles and blood pressure responses in healthy, middle-aged men and women.Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 1990,34: 461–471.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Denollet J: Negative affectivity and repressive coping: Pervasive influence on self-reported mood, health, and coronary-prone behavior.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1991,53: 538–556.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Shedler J, Mayman M, Manis M: The illusion of mental health.American Psychologist. 1993,48: 1117–1131.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Weinberger D, Schwartz G, Davidson RJ: Low-anxious, high-anxious, and repressive coping styles: Psychometric patterns and behavioral and physiological responses to stress.Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 1979,88: 369–380.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Houston KB, Smith MA, Cates DS: Hostility patterns and cardiovascular reactivity to stress.Psychophysiology. 1989,26: 337–342.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Crino MD, Svoboda M, Rubefeld S, White MC: Data on the Marlowe-Crowne and Edwards social desirability scales.Psychological Reports. 1983,53: 963–968.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Spielberger CD:Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Friedman M, Powell L: The diagnosis and quantitative assessment of Type A behavior: Introduction and description of the Videotaped Structured Interview.Integrative Psychiatry. 1984,2: 122–136.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Austen WG, Edwards JE, Frye RL, et al: A reporting system on patients evaluated for coronary artery disease. Report of the Ad Hoc Committee for Grading of Coronary Artery Disease, Council of Cardiovascular Surgery, American Heart Association.Circulation. 1975,51(Suppl.): 5–40.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Sullivan DR, Marwick TH, Freedman SB: A new method of scoring coronary angiograms to reflect extent of coronary atherosclerosis and improve correlation with major risk factors.American Heart Journal. 1990,119: 1262–1267.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Stevens J:Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Tennant CC, Langeluddecke PM: Psychological correlates of coronary heart disease.Psychological Medicine. 1985,15: 581–588.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Barefoot JC, Beckham JC, Peterson BC, Haney TL, Williams RB: Measures of neuroticism and disease status in coronary angiography patients.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1992,60: 127–132.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Bates College, 04240, Lewiston, ME

    Kathryn Graff Low, Courtney Fleisher, Rebecca Colman, Amy Dionne & Gillian Casey

  2. Bowdoin College, Brunswick, USA

    Susan Legendre

Authors
  1. Kathryn Graff Low
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Courtney Fleisher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rebecca Colman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Amy Dionne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Gillian Casey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Susan Legendre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by grant #9206212S from the Maine Affiliate of the American Heart Association.

We are especially grateful to Robert Weiss, M.D., who referred many female patients undergoing catheterization.

About this article

Cite this article

Low, K.G., Fleisher, C., Colman, R. et al. Psychosocial variables, age, and angiographically-determined coronary artery disease in women. ann. behav. med. 20, 221–226 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02884964

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02884964

Keywords

Search

Navigation