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Biomedical subjects

B K Houston

Publications and source records attributed to B K Houston.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

The effects of vasectomy on postoperative psychological adjustment and self-concept.

Twenty men undergoing vasectomies completed the Tennessee Self Concept Scale shortly before the operation and again at 6- and 18-month postoperative follow-up periods. Twenty nonvasectomy comparison subjects completed the test at the same points in time. Results indicated that vasectomy adversely affects psychological adjustment, and this effect fluctuates over time as a function of preoperative level of defensiveness. In contrast, vasectomy was not found to effect changes in self-concept.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Family history of hypertension, personality patterns, and cardiovascular reactivity to stress.

The study was conducted to assess whether certain personality characteristics in combination with a positive family history for essential hypertension (EH) are associated with excessive cardiovascular reactivity. Subgroups who differed in the patterns of their personality characteristics were identified within normotensives with a positive family history (FH+) of EH and within normotensives with a negative family history (FH-) of EH via cluster analytic techniques. A subgroup of FH+ subjects who were characterized by denial and unwilling to admit to neurotic feelings or aggressiveness exhibited exaggerated blood pressure reactivity to two experimental tasks. Moreover, relative to their level of heightened physiologic arousal, subjects in this subgroup reported little negative affect in response to the tasks, which further suggests that they deny or suppress their feelings. The similarity of the personality pattern of these cardiovascularly reactive FH+ individuals to that sometimes found among individuals with EH is discussed.

Aggression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Behavioral clusters and coronary heart disease risk.

The purpose of the present study was to empirically identify individuals who differed in their patterns of components derived from the structured interview (SI), and to evaluate whether individuals characterized by the different patterns varied in terms of their risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). The present study represents a reanalysis of data from the Western Collaborative Group Study in which components of Type A were individually related to risk for CHD. Subgroups of individuals who differed in the patterns of their component scores were identified by means of cluster analytic techniques and were found to vary in their risk of CHD. As expected, a pattern of characteristics in which hostility was salient was found to be predictive of CHD. Moreover, another pattern of characteristics that appears to reflect pressured, controlling, socially dominant behavior in which hostility was not salient also was found to be predictive of CHD. Further, two patterns of characteristics were identified that were unrelated to CHD risk. Finally, two patterns of characteristics were identified that were related to reduced risk of CHD. Overall, these results suggest that future research should investigate variables in addition to hostility in regard to risk for and protection from CHD.

Adult↗