SELF-REPORTED HOSTILITY AND SUICIDAL ACTS, ACCIDENTS, AND ACCIDENTAL DEATHS - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF 21,443 ADULTS AGED 25 TO 59

The association of self-reported hostility with morbidity and mortalit y due to external causes, including suicidal acts, was analyzed in 10, 586 Finnish men and 10,857 Finnish women aged 24 to 59 years. Hostilit y was assessed from self-ratings on irritability, ease of anger-arousa l, and argumentativeness. Three groups, low (33.6% of subjects), inter mediate (50.6%), and extreme (15.9%), were formed from the self-report ed hostility scores. A B-year mortality follow-up yielded 76 violent d eaths among men and II among women. A 4-year morbidity follow-up found 399 hospitalizations due to external causes among men and 169 among w omen. Among men, the risk ratio between the highest and lowest hostili ty groups was 1.53 (95% confidence interval, 1.16-1.96) for all events due to external causes and 3.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.63-7.89) f or suicidal behavior, when effects of age, marital status, social stat us, and self-reported alcohol use were controlled in a multivariate mo del. No association was observed between traffic-related injuries and hostility. Hostility did not predict accidents or accidental deaths or suicidal behavior among women.