Hostility, the metabolic syndrome, and incident coronary heart disease.

This investigation examined the impact of hostility and the metabolic syndrome on coronary heart disease (CHD) using prospective data from the Normative Aging Study. Seven hundred seventy-four older, unmedicated men free of cardiovascular disease were included in the study. The total Cook-Medley Hostility (Ho) Scale score, anthropometric data, serum lipids, fasting insulin concentrations, blood pressure, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and total dietary calories were used to predict incident CHD during a 3-year follow-up interval. Multivariate analysis indicated that only Ho positively predicted and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level negatively predicted incident CHD. Ho's effects on CHD may be mediated through mechanisms other than factors that constitute the metabolic syndrome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender-role attitudes and behavior across the transition to parenthood.

On the basis of social structural theory and identity theory, the current study examined changes in gender-role attitudes and behavior across the first-time transition to parenthood and following the birth of a second child for experienced mothers and fathers. Data were analyzed from the ongoing longitudinal Wisconsin Study of Families and Work. Gender-role attitudes, work and family identity salience, and division of household labor were measured for 205 first-time and 198 experienced mothers and fathers across 4 time points from 5 months pregnant to 12 months postpartum. Multilevel latent growth curve analysis was used to analyze the data. In general, parents became more traditional in their gender-role attitudes and behavior following the birth of a child, women changed more than men, and first-time parents changed more than experienced parents. Findings suggest that changes in gender-role attitudes and behavior following the birth of a child may be attributed to both the process of transitioning to parenthood for the first time and that of negotiating the demands of having a new baby in the family. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial maturity in the transition to adulthood for people with and without motor disabilities.

Objective: To identify individual, family, and community variables that contribute to psychosocial maturity in the transition to adulthood for people with and without motor disabilities (mean age = 25 years, range = 20 to 30). Participants/Design: Seventy-four people (34 men, 40 women) with developmental motor disabilities (cerebral palsy or spina bifida) and 72 people (31 men, 41 women) without motor disabilities from a Canadian province completed questionnaires and participated in a semi-structured interview. Results: In a heirarchical regression analysis, individual and family variables explained variance in psychosocial maturity for the total sample. More use of task-focused coping, lower levels of depression, and perceptions of fathers as autonomy fostering were associated with increased psychosocial maturity. These variables were also significant in a similar analysis for the group with motor disabilities with 1 addition; older age also was related to higher psychosocial maturity. Community variables did not explain variation in psychosocial maturity in either analysis. Conclusion: Knowledge about barriers to and facilitators of a successful transition to adulthood can be used to design services to maximize opportunities for young people with disabilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social networks and partner stress as predictors of adherence to medication, rehabilitation attendance, and quality of life following acute coronary syndrome.

Objective: This study examined whether social network size and partner stress predicted medication adherence, cardiac rehabilitation attendance, and quality of life 12 months following hospitalization for an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Design: ACS patients (N = 193, M age = 60.6 years, SD = 11.4 years, 23% female) were recruited shortly following admission to 4 local hospitals. A prospective design was employed with follow-up data collected 12 months following hospital admission. Main Outcome Measures: Data were gathered on social network size and partner stress. The main outcomes assessed at 12 months were medication adherence, cardiac rehabilitation attendance, and quality of life (Short Form 36). Results: Partner stress predicted medication nonadherence, odds ratio: 2.89, (95% CI = 1.21, 6.95). ACS patients with large social networks were more likely to attend rehabilitation, odds ratio: 3.42, (95% CI = 1.42, 8.25). Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, clinical risk scores, readmission/recurrence, and negative affectivity. Both partner stress and smaller social network size were associated with poorer quality of life. Conclusion: Social network size and partner stress may partly exert their influence on coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality through recovery behaviors and maintenance of quality of life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)