Cynical hostility and the metabolic syndrome: A case-control study

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that metabolic syndrome and hostility are independent risk factors for the development of coronary heart disease. Recently, the combined effect of metabolic syndrome and hostility has shown to predict the incidence of myocardial infarction. This study tested whether cynical hostility was associated with the metabolic syndrome in a sample of Italian adults. METHODS: 992 subjects participated in the study. Among them, 546 participants were classified as having metabolic syndrome and 446 as controls, not having any of the risk factors that constitute the metabolic syndrome. Cynicism, the cognitive component of hostility, was measured with a self-report questionnaire derived from the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale. Metabolic syndrome was based on having the following risk factors: obesity, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, and elevated arterial blood pressure. RESULTS: The cross-sectional association of cynical hostility with metabolic syndrome was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Hostility was also associated with age (p < 0.0001) and educational level (p < 0.02). Predictors of having metabolic syndrome were higher cynicism (O.R. 1.12), older age (O.R. 1.39), and lower educational level (O.R. 1.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the potential importance of intervention on psychological factors (i.e. hostility) to prevent coronary heart disease.