Hostility and the cardiovascular reactivity of women during interpersonal confrontation

In order to explore the association between hostility and women's health, this study examined the relationship of hostility to cardiovascular reactivity during stressful, interpersonal confrontations. Prior to the task, each participant's level of hostility, methods of coping with stress, and perceived social support were evaluated. Blood pressure and heart rate were monitored in ninety females during two discussions with a disagreeing confederate. In one discussion, participants were given positive feedback concerning their performance, while in a second discussion, participants were given non-positive feedback concerning their effectiveness in expressing their viewpoint. The results indicate that low hostile women displayed greater systolic blood pressure and heart rate increases than high hostile women during the discussions. In addition, participants exhibited greater systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure reactivity during the positive feedback condition than during the non-positive feedback condition. However, for diastolic blood pressure, these results were qualified by an interaction, such that low hostile women displayed greater reactivity during the positive feedback condition than during the non-positive feedback condition, while high hostile women were equally reactive in both feedback conditions. State assessment of coping styles indicated that high hostile women may be less reactive due to withdrawal and lack of engagement during the task, while low hostile women may show greater engagement, especially when encouraged by positive feedback.