Smoking and Type A behaviour

This study examines the relationship between Type A behaviour and smoking. Data were gathered from a random sample of 100 undergraduate male daily smokers, with a mean age of 21.2 years (SD = 2.72), using the Type A Behaviour Scale (Bortner and Rosenman, 1967). Results reveal that Type A smokers are heavier daily consumers of cigarettes than Type B smokers (t = 2.90, p less than 0.01). The observed relationship between smoking and Type A behaviour remains significant even when the influence of aggression in partialled out. The need to further investigate the interplay of genetic and non-genetic predispositions, and smoking in the incidence of coronary heart diseases (CHD) is suggested.     

Type D personality,but not Type A behavior pattern,is associated with coronary plaque vulnerability

Personality traits are associated with major adverse coronary events (MACE) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the link between personality traits and intravascular morphology in CAD patients is poorly understood. This study investigated the relationship between personality traits, specifically Type A behavior pattern and Type D personality, and plaque vulnerability. After adjustment for demographic and clinical factors, multivariable regression analysis showed no association between Type A and optical coherence tomography indices. However, Type D personality was independently associated with lipid plaque, thin cap fibroatheroma (TCFA), and fibrous cap thickness. More specifically, negative affectivity of Type D was related to lipid plaque, TCFA and fibrous cap thickness, and social inhibition was associated with plaque rupture. Our results show that Type D personality was associated with plaque vulnerability, independent of clinical factors. Measurement of negative affectivity and social inhibition will increase our understanding of the progressive phase of the plaque vulnerability, which can contribute to the early identification of high risk patients and reduce the incidence of MACE.     

Type a behaviour,social contact and coronary death

Abstract

The risk of coronary death associated with Type A behaviour (Framingham definition) and social contact was examined using a retrospective case-control design. Logistic regression analysis of 134 male cases and 339 controls showed that increased risk was associated with Type B behaviour, and independently with limited social contact. Discussion focuses on issues surrounding the use of retrospective, proxy data; and on the speculation that Type A behaviour may increase risk of non-fatal coronary events, but protect against coronary death.     

The effects of anger management and social contact on risk of myocardial infarction in type as and type bs

Abstract

The risk of myocardial infarction (MI) associated with Type A behaviour, anger management and social contact was examined using a retrospective case-control design. Binary multiple regression analyses were used to compare 206 male and 67 female MI cases with 454 male and 316 female controls. To examine the potential moderating role of sex and Type A behaviour, moderated and subgroup regressions were run. Type A behaviour was significantly more prevalent in cases than controls. MI risk was further increased in males who combined Type A behaviour and aggressive expression of anger. In females MI risk was associated with the combination of Type A behaviour and not expressing anger. In addition female cases were significantly less likely than controls to discuss their anger, and reported fewer available social contacts. Discussion of results includes consideration of the problems generated by the retrospective case-control design.     

The Effect of Previous Experience on Preference of Approach for Effective Counseling

Students in a general psychology class viewed four videotapes of initial vocational-educational and initial personal concern counseling sessions. The sessions were presented from a client-centered approach and from a behavioral approach, and employed the same client and counselor. After viewing the tapes, the students were asked to indicate which approach they thought would be more effective in helping a client. Results showed that students who had previously experienced counseling preferred a behavioral approach for both the vocational-educational concern and the personal concern. Students with no experience of counseling did not exhibit a preference.     

Interpreting coronary-prone behaviour: Relationships among type a behaviour,hopelessness, anger management and social contact

Abstract

Two approaches to interpreting relationships among psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease are contrasted: the profile approach which focuses on predictive validity and confounding; and the theoretical approach which emphasises internal validity. These approaches are explored by applying them to a set of correlations found among Type A behaviour, hopelessness, anger management and social contact in a female sample. Type A behaviour was positively correlated with hopelessness and with anger expression, whilst anger management was related to the availability of social contact. The relationships between Type A, anger expression and hopelessness also appeared to be moderated by degree of social contact. These results are interpreted from the profile perspective and from that of Price's cognitive social learning theory. The relative merits of the two approaches are considered and a case is made for encouraging more theoretically based research on coronary-prone behaviour.     

Response of the pituitary-adrenal axis in terms of type a behaviour,hostility and vital exhaustion in healthy middle-aged men

Abstract

Pituitary-adrenal axis was studied in terms of Type A behaviour, hostility and vital exhaustion among 69 healthy middle-aged men. The results showed that psychological factors could explain a significant proportion of the biologically manipulated responses of HPA axis, but they worked in different ways. Type A behaviour was related to a high level of mean basal ACTH and a low level of cortisol response to ACTH stimulation after dexamethasone suppression; hostility was related to a high level of mean basal cortisol and a high cortisol in cortisol/ACTH ratio, while vital exhaustion was characterized by a low level of mean basal ACTH and a decreased ACTH in relation to cortisol. The adrenocortical patterns, i.e. a high ACTH-low cortisol; a high cortisol; and a low ACTH-low mean basal cortisol, as related to Type A behaviour, hostility and exhaustion, respectively, are in line with the traditional physiological stress model and suggest that different adrenocortical responses might be able to identify different mental stress processes. Sense of control has been suggested to be a key concept for psychological understanding of this finding.     

Assessing the relationship of Type A beliefs to cardiovascular disease risk and psychosocial distress

Investigators have begun to take a multimodal approach to the assessment and treatment of psychosocial risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). For instance, cognitive responses have become the focus of contemporary research along with continued examination of overt Type A behaviors. Price (1982) has outlined a set of beliefs purportedly associated with Type A behavior and subsequent CVD risk. The current study examines the validity of this belief set as represented by a newly developed measure, the Type A Cognitive Questionnaire (TACQ). Subjects were 221 employed adults participating in a worksite CVD risk reduction program. They completed the TACQ as part of a pretreatment CVD risk screening protocol. As hypothesized, TACQ scores were significantly associated with Type A behavior, hostility, physiological mediators of CVD, and psychosocial distress. Discussion addresses continued refinement of the Type A belief construct.     

Empirical support for a Type A belief system

Much of the research on Type A behavior has focused on overt manifestations of the pattern; consequently, the underlying psychological dimensions are poorly understood (Matthews, 1982). Price (1982) has proposed an elaborate, but empirically unvalidated, model suggesting that a specific set of beliefs underlies the Type A behavior pattern. A series of experiments was conducted to test the validity of Price's model and to develop a device for assessing these beliefs. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of this measure were .94 and .84, respectively. Significant positive correlations were found with traditional measures of Type A behavior as well as various facets of anger and anxiety. Finally, subjects who endorsed a high degree of Type A beliefs set significantly higher performance standards and were less likely to achieve these standards than their low-scoring counterparts. Results are discussed with regard to the theoretical construct of Type A as well as their implications for future research and treatment.This research is an extension of a study presented at the 92nd meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada, August 1984Special thanks to to Drs. James A. Blumenthal, Martin T. Gipson, Abby C. King, and Ellie T. Sturgis for their helpful comments in the preparation of this article.     

Health psychology and uptake of preventive health services: A review of 30 years' research on cervical screening

Abstract

A review of thirty years' research in cervical screening was conducted to assess the role of social and psychological factors in screening utilisation. The role of age, social class, attitudes towards and beliefs about screening as well as social influence and personality variables are considered. A reanalysis of reasons for non-attendance following an invitation for screening from ten previous studies is presented and the importance of theoretical accounts of service utilisation in this area are assessed. Research findings show significant associations for both demographic and psychological factors though poor operationalisations and statistical analyses in previous research make difficult the assessment of their importance as additive, interactive or mediational variables. The significance of service provision issues in terms of both providers' behaviour and the flexibility of delivery is highlighted. The need for further research using a theoretical framework which can unify demographic, psychological and service provision variables is identified.     

Measurement of state and trait anxiety in elderly mental health clients

Anxiety in elderly persons is frequently discussed but rarely measured. Difficulties in measuring state and trait anxiety with mental health clients aged 55 and older using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) led the authors to validate the use of the simpler, children's form of their scale. Four types of validity data were found: (1) the childrens' form was highly correlated with the adult form, (2) both scales were significantly correlated with objective ratings of anxiety made by staff, (3) the STAI measures were not correlated with behavioral ratings other than anxiety (discriminant validity), (4) the residential clients were significantly higher in A-trait than the day clients. The nonresidential clients were not more anxious than college students. Discussion emphasizes the necessity of distinguishing between and measuring both state and trait anxiety in order to understand anxiety in the elderly.     

Moderating effect of situational strength on the relationship between personality traits and counterproductive work behaviour

The present study investigated the extent to which the strength of situations moderates the relations between personality traits and counterproductive work behaviour (CWB). It was hypothesized that the relations between personality traits and CWB would vary across strong and weak situations. In addition, there would be an interaction between conscientiousness and agreeableness in predicting CWB. As predicted, the results showed that the effect of personality on CWB depended on the strength of situations. The results also indicated that, in a weak situation only, conscientiousness has a stronger, negative relation to CWB when agreeableness is low than when agreeableness is high.     

高血压患者的生活满意度及人格特质研究

为了分析高血压患者在生活满意度以及人格特质方面与健康人群的异同,选取天津市某综合医院高血压患者123例作为研究组,选取同期健康人群130例作为对照组进行调查研究。结果显示,高血压患者生活满意度显著低于对照组,在神经质和掩饰量表得分显著高于对照组;高血压患者的神经质倾向与生活满意度A和B呈显著负相关;神经质低分组的高血压...