Increasing constructive anger verbal behavior decreases resting blood pressure: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled hostility intervention

We hypothesized that increasing anger verbal behavior in an assertive, cons tructively motivated style should decrease resting blood pressure (BP) and that this behavior may be one mechanism through which hostility relates to BP. We tested this hypothesis by conducting secondary analyses on a single- blind, matched, randomized controlled study of hostility modification and B P. A total of 22 high-hostile male patients with coronary heart disease wer e matched on age and hostility level and were randomly assigned to either a n X-week cognitive-behavioral hostility treatment: (n = 10) or an informati on-control group (n = 12). Patients were reassessed after treatment and at 2-month follow-up on hostility, observed anger expression, and resting BP. We found that decreases in hostility predicted increases in constructive an ger behavior-verbal component, which in turn predicted decreases in resting BP at follow-up. Thus, one of the mechanisms underlying the hostility-BP a ssociation may be the lack of constructive anger expression.