The relationship between habitual anger coping style and serum lipid and lipoprotein concentrations

Abstract

The relationship between habitual anger coping styles, especially anger expression in a socially assertive manner and serum lipid concentrations was examined in 86 healthy subjects. Habitual anger expression was measured by the Müller Anger Coping Questionnaire (MAQ) on four scales: Aggression, Controlled Affect, Guilt, and Social Inhibition. A positive correlation between serum cholesterol and Aggression was found, as was a negative correlation between LDL/HDL ratio and Controlled Affect. These correlations remained significant after adjustments for age, Body Mass Index (BMI), athletic activity, alcohol, nicotine and coffee consumption. After these adjustments, significant negative partial correlations between Controlled Affect and both total cholesterol and LDL were also found. We found no significant gender differences on any lipid measure. This study demonstrated that unfavourable lipid profiles are linked to a predominantly aggressive anger coping style, whereas favourable lipid profiles are associated with more socially assertive anger coping (Controlled Affect). Thus the expression of anger in a socially assertive manner can be seen as health promoting. The MAQ scales were better predictors of total serum cholesterol concentrations than the health related behaviors and characteristics. Results are discussed in terms of a psychophysiological risk model of inadequate anger coping.