Belief systems and coping styles as mediating variables in the relationship between hostility and illness |
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Authors: | Debra J Vandervoort |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 96729-4091 Hilo, Hawaii |
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Abstract: | The present study investigated the relationship between hostility, belief systems, coping styles, and illness. Hostility is
of interest when considering the stress-illness relationship because it has been associated with increased risk for coronary
heart disease as well as general mortality. The results suggest that individuals prone toward hostility are more likely to
succumb to illness and adhere to irrational beliefs than individuals not so oriented. In addition, hostile individuals were
found to employ different, and perhaps less adaptive, coping styles than their low hostility counterparts. It was concluded
that the belief systems and coping styles typically employed by individuals prone toward hostility may be important mediating
variables in the relationship between hostility and illness. These factors may also be important to take into account in treatment
programs designed to reduce illness risks for such individuals. Finally, this study suggests that stress-induced impairment
of health for hostility-prone individuals may begin much earlier than the vast majority of the literature currently suggests. |
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Keywords: | |
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