Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


toledo1290084946.pdf (1.24 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Hard-Hearted Doctors: Hard-Hearted Doctors: The Incremental Validity of Explicit and Implicit-Based Methods in Predicting Cardiovascular Disease in Physicians

Katko, Nicholas John
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1290084946

Abstract Details

2010, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, Psychology.
The search for a coronary-prone personality profile is a popular and widely investigated topic. Regarding the constellation of personality characteristics and symptom behaviors, hostility is perhaps the most frequently studied construct. Most scientific investigations have assessed hostility through self-report methodology, requiring respondents to be consciously aware of their private internal states and/or behavioral expressions of hostility. This study attempted to assess the utility of using an integrative model of personality (Winter, John, Stewart, Klohnen, & Duncan, 1998) for assessing both implicit and explicit hostility-related constructs to predict both premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) and premature coronary heart disease (CHD) using data from the Johns Hopkins Precursors Study. This dataset consists of medical students attending Johns Hopkins University from years 1948 to 1964 who have been studied annually as part of an ongoing prospective study of health and illness. Previously, a small, but positive relationship was found between self-reported hostility from the ‘Habits of Nervous Tension’ scale (HNT) and CVD within the Precursor sample (Chang, Ford, Meoni, Wang, & Klag, 2002). Using individually-administered baseline Rorschach data (N= 415), it was believed that persons identifying hostile imagery in inkblots would also show similar patterns of pathogenic response that lead to early cardiovascular morbidity; that is, a positive relationship between Rorschach hostility and premature CVD and CHD would be found. By combining self-reported hostility-related measures and Rorschach hostility-related constructs according to an integrative model of personality, the measurement distortions inherent to each method may be reduced. Consequently, this should increase validity for predicting premature CVD and CHD. Empirical tests of the integrative model of personality revealed that explicit and implicit components of hostility interacted in the prediction of morbidity. In particular, the interaction pattern of high levels of explicit and high levels of implicit hostility significantly predicted the cumulative incidence of premature CVD. When adjusting for the effects of the baseline covariates, this interaction remained significant. Holding the effects of the covariates constant also produced a significant interaction for premature CHD. Explicit hostility and implicit hostility were not independent predictors of other CVD risk factors and relevant criterions assessed across the follow-up. The integrative model of hostility on the whole demonstrates potential value to areas of health psychology and preventive medicine.
Gregory J. Meyer, PhD (Committee Chair)
Joni L. Mihura, PhD (Committee Member)
Jeanne H. Brockmyer, PhD (Committee Member)
Andy L. Geers, PhD (Committee Member)
Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH (Committee Member)
123 p.
Psychological Tests; Psychology; Public Health
Rorschach; hostility; CVD; explicit; implicit; integrative model

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Katko, N. J. (2010). Hard-Hearted Doctors: Hard-Hearted Doctors: The Incremental Validity of Explicit and Implicit-Based Methods in Predicting Cardiovascular Disease in Physicians [Doctoral dissertation, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1290084946

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Katko, Nicholas. Hard-Hearted Doctors: Hard-Hearted Doctors: The Incremental Validity of Explicit and Implicit-Based Methods in Predicting Cardiovascular Disease in Physicians. 2010. University of Toledo, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1290084946.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Katko, Nicholas. "Hard-Hearted Doctors: Hard-Hearted Doctors: The Incremental Validity of Explicit and Implicit-Based Methods in Predicting Cardiovascular Disease in Physicians." Doctoral dissertation, University of Toledo, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1290084946

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

toledo1290084946
450
© 2010, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Toledo and OhioLINK.