Hostile children are up to three times more prone to key risk factors leading to cardiovascular disease than more serene kids, suggests a new study.
Researchers found that children scoring highly on standard tests for hostility were more likely to have developed 鈥渕etabolic syndrome鈥� when re-tested three years later. Metabolic syndrome is a collection of risk factors like obesity, insulin resistance and high blood pressure, which together can lead to heart disease or diabetes.
鈥淭he hostility seemed to precede metabolic syndrome,鈥� says Kristen Salomon, a psychologist, now at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. She notes that the cardiovascular disease process is known to start very early in life and that hostility also shows up early.
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Salomon told 快猫短视频: 鈥淧arents should be aware of what their kids eat and how much exercise they take, but it is also important to focus on psychological factors and treat these early on.鈥�
鈥淭his is a small study,鈥� says Fiona Kirkwood, a cardiac nurse adviser to the British Heart Foundation. 鈥淏ut it is consistent with some adult studies indicating that hostility may be associated with obesity and insulin resistance, which are part of metabolic syndrome.鈥�
Type A personality
Certain personality types have long been associated with heart disease in adults. In the 1970s, a so-called 鈥渢ype A personality鈥� 鈥� exhibited by time-pressured, success-orientated, hostile perfectionists 鈥� was linked to heart disease. But recent research shows that only the hostility component is a factor, says Salomon.
Hostility has three main facets. There is a cognitive component that reflects an untrusting and cynical view of the world. Hostile emotional responses result in people feeling more angry. And hostile people tend to be more aggressive when provoked or challenged.
The team, based at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the University of Helsinki, Finland, studied 134 children aged 8 to 10 and 15 to 17. Physiological parameters like blood pressure were recorded and children then completed a standard hostility questionnaire.
Their behavioural responses were also tested in a standardised 鈥渢ype-A鈥� interview. In these, for example, the interviewer deliberately cuts short a child while he or she is replying to a question. A hostile reaction could include the child raising their voice or making snide remarks.
Repeating the same tests three years later revealed that the most hostile children were three times more likely to have developed metabolic syndrome.
Stressful place
Salomon says hostile people tend to live less healthy lives, which might explain their greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome 鈥� particularly obesity and insulin resistance.
Hostility is also higher in people from lower socio-economic groups. 鈥淧erhaps people who experience the world as being a stressful place may develop hostility in response to the environment 鈥� which would suggest the environment is a strong influence,鈥� she says.
鈥淭here鈥檚 also some evidence that hostile people tend to have exaggerated responses to stress.鈥� Salomon speculates that this leads to a heightened release of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is involved with insulin resistance and might therefore provide the basis of a biological mechanism.
Journal reference: Health Psychology (vol 22, p 279)