The relationship between hostility, smoking, and alcohol consumption in Mexican Americans.

We examined the effect of hostility on smoking and alcohol consumption using data from a three-generation study of Mexican Americans. The irritability subscale of the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory was used as the measure of hostility. Moderate associations were found between alcohol consumption and irritability scores among middle- and younger-generation females, with generally weaker or nonsignificant associations found in males. Smoking was moderately associated with irritability in middle- and younger-generation females and in younger-generation males. Differences in results by generation and gender are discussed as well as implications for future research.