Psychosocial vulnerability, hostility, and family history of coronary heart disease among male and female college students.

This study evaluated the utility of the psychosocial vulnerability model for understanding the hostility-coronary heart disease (CHD) relationship among college students at risk for CHD. Interrelationships of cognitive, affective, and behavioral hostility with structural and functional social support were examined. College undergraduates with a parental history of CHD (n = 121) and a control group of 125 students with no CHD family history completed measures of hostility and social support. Among women, a significant negative correlation was found between affective-experiential hostility and functional support. Among men, a significant negative correlation was observed between cognitive-experiential hostility and structural support. Path analyses revealed a significant positive effect of expressive hostility on functional support for CHD-negative men and CHD-positive women. CHD family history was not associated with hostility or family environment. CHD-positive participants reported less support satisfaction than did CHD-negative participants. Thus, results indicated qualified support for the psychosocial vulnerability model of the hostility-CHD relationship.