Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

5-1-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. in Psychology

First Advisor

Aaron A. Lee

Second Advisor

Todd Smitherman

Third Advisor

John Young

School

University of Mississippi

Relational Format

dissertation/thesis

Abstract

Negative affect has been linked with elevated C-Reactive Protein (CRP), an important marker of inflammation. Greater trait anger has been associated with increased risk of developing diabetes. African American adults in the U.S. are at increased risk of developing diabetes and diabetes-related complications compared to other racial ethnic groups and thus, may be particularly vulnerable to potentially proinflammatory effects of negative emotions like anger. The proposed study examined the relationships between anger and CRP measured at baseline and 10-year follow-up among African American adults participating in the Jackson Heart Study (N = 5,306). Exploratory analyses examined the interactive effect of anger with diabetes status (i.e., diabetes vs. no diabetes, prediabetes vs. no diabetes) on CRP. Results indicated significant positive associations for concurrent relationships between anger-out (Exam 1: B = 1.17, p = .002; Exam 3: B = 1.10, p = .042) but not anger-in (ps > .252) and CRP. No prospective relationships emerged between anger-in or anger-out and CRP. Diabetes status was a significant moderator of the relationship between anger-out and CRP at Exam 1 (B = 1.31, p = .042) such that the association was stronger for individuals with diabetes compared to those with no diabetes. Thus, outward expression of anger may be related to increased inflammation among Black adults, possibly to a greater extent for individuals with diabetes. Future research and clinical interventions should target adaptive management of anger among individuals with greater inflammatory risk.

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