Abstract

The present study explored the role of marital relationships in the relations between anger expression styles and coronary heart disease (CHD). To begin with. the study examined unhealthy couple types among four possible combinations: Anger- In patients/Anger-In spouses; Anger-In patients/Anger-Out spouses; Anger-Out patients/Anger-Out spouses. and Anger-Out patients/Anger-In spouses. When 133 CHD patients and 133 their spouses were examined, utilizing the Korean adaptation of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-K. Chon. Hahn. & Lee. 1998). mismatched couples revealed higher morbidity rates. The findings also revealed that, the frequency of smoking and the frequency of alcohol consumption. but not marital dissatisfaction, were found to be significant mediators of the presence of CHD. Thus, the present findings were in favor of a health behavior model, and against a psychosocial vulnerability model (Smith. 1992). When an attempt was made to explore patterns of anger expression styles throughout married life, it was shown that the style of anger expression seemed stable from the early days of the marriage. Finally, the findings are discussed from a cross-cultural perspective, and some implications for future studies are suggested.