Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The assessment of type a behavior and the prediction of coronary heart disease: A review

  • Articles
  • Published:
Current Psychological Research & Reviews Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The literature regarding the Type A behavior pattern and its association with the incidence of coronary disease has been accumulating for over 20 years. For any researcher contemplating the investigation of this syndrome and its pathological implications, a daunting and time-consuming task is presented in deciding which Type A measurement technique to use to identify Type A individuals. This article is designed to aid this process by presenting a review of all the prospectively validated Type A measures that have been shown to be predictive of coronary disease. Each measure is described, its development is outlined, and its advantages, disadvantages, and limitations are highlighted.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Appels, A., Jenkins, C.D., Gostautas, A., & Nijhuis, F. (1981). Validation in Lithuania of the Type A coronary prone behavior pattern as measured by the JAS. In C.D. Spielberger & P.J. Defares (Eds.),Stress and anxiety, volume 9. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Appels, A., Jenkins, C.D., & Rosenman, R.H. (1982). Coronary-prone behavior in the Netherlands: A cross-cultural validation study.Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 5, 83–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bortner, R.W. (1969). A short rating scale as a potential measure of pattern A behavior.Journal of Chronic Diseases, 22, 87–91.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brand, R.J., Rosenman, R.H., Sholtz, R.I., & Friedman, M. (1976). Multivariate prediction of CHD in the Western Collaborative Group Study compared to the findings of the Framingham Study.Circulation, 53, 348–355.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bruhn, J.G., Paredes, A., Adsett, C.A., & Wolf, S. (1974). Psychological predictors of sudden death in myocardial infarction.Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 18, 187–191.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caffrey, B. (1969). Behavior patterns and personality characteristics related to prevalence rates of coronary heart disease in American monks.Journal of Chronic Diseases, 22, 93–103.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chesney, M.A., Black, G.W., Chadwick, J.H., & Rosenman, R.H. (1981). Psychological correlates of the coronary-prone behavior pattern.Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4, 217–230.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dembroski, T.M. (1978). Reliability and validity of methods used to assess coronary-prone behavior. In T.M. Dembroski, S.M. Weiss, J.L. Shields, S.G. Haynes, & M. Feinleib (Eds.),Coronary-prone behavior. New York: Springer-Verlag.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dembroski, T.M., MacDougal, J.M., & Shields, J.L. (1977). Psychological reactions to social challenge in persons evidencing the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern.Journal of Human Stress, 3, 2–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dembroski, T.M., MacDougall, J.M., Shields, J.L., Petitto, J., & Lushene, R. (1978). Components of the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern and cardiovascular responses to psychomotor challenge.Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 1, 159–176.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dembroski, T.M., MacDougall, J.M., & Lushene, R. (1979). Intrapersonal interaction and cardiovascular response in type A subjects and coronary patients.Journal of Human Stress, 5(4), 28–36.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • French-Belgian Collaborative Group (1982). Ischemic heart disease and psychological patterns.Advances in Cardiology, 29, 25–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M. (1969).Pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M., & Rosenman, R.H. (1959). Association of specific overt behavior pattern with blood and cardiovascular findings.Journal of the American Medical Association, 169, 1286–1289.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glass, D. (1977).Behavior patterns, stress and coronary disease. Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanses, O., Reunanen, A., Maatela, J., Impivaara, O. & Aromaa, A. (1982). Type A in the mini-Finland health survey.Acta Medica Scandinavica Supplementum, 660, 165–171.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haynes, S.G., Feinleib, M., & Kannel, W.B. (1980). The relationship of psychosocial factors to coronary heart disease in the Framingham Study III: Eight-year incidence of coronary heart disease.American Journal of Epidemiology, 111, 37–58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haynes, S.G., Feinleib M., Levine, S., Scotch, N., & Kannel, W.B. (1978b). The relationship of psychosocial factors to coronary heart disease in the Framingham Study II: Prevalence of coronary heart disease.American Journal of Epidemiology, 107, 384–402.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haynes, S.G., Levine, S., Scotch, N., Feinleib, M., & Kannel, W.B. (1978a). The relationship of psychosocial factors to coronary heart disease in the Framingham Study 1: Methods and risk factors.American Journal of Epidemiology, 107, 362–383.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heller, R.F. (1979). Type A behaviour and coronary heart disease.British Medical Journal, 11, 368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, C.D. (1966). Components of the coronary-prone behavior pattern. Their relation to silent myocardial infarction and blood lipids.Journal of Chronic Diseases, 19, 599–609.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, C.D. (1978). A comparative review of the interview and questionnaire methods in the assessment of the coronary-prone behavior pattern. In T.M. Dembroski, S.M. Weiss, J.L. Shields, S.G. Haynes, & M. Feinleib (Eds.),coronary-prone behavior. New York: Spinger-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, C.D., Rosenman, R.H., & Friedman, M. (1967). Development of an objective psychological test for the determination of the coronary-prone behavior pattern in employed men.Journal of Chronic Deseases, 20, 371–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, C.D., Rosenman, R.H., & Friedman, M. (1968). Replicability of rating the coronary-prone behavior pattern.British Journal of Preventive and Social Medicine, 22, 16–22.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, C.D., Rosenman, R.H., & Zyzanski, S.J. (1974). Prediction of clinical coronary heart disease by a test for the coronary-prone behavior pattern.New England Journal of Medicine, 290, 1271–1275.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, C.D., Zyzanski, S.J., & Rosenman, R.H. (1971a). Progress toward validation of a computer-scored test for the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern.Psychosomatic Medicine, 33, 193–202.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, C.D., Zyzanski, S.J., & Rosenman, R.H. (1976). Risk of new myocardial infarction in middle-aged men with manifest coronary heart disease.Circulation, 53, 342–347.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, C.D., Zyzanski, S.J., & Rosenman, R.H. (1978). Coronary-prone behavior: One pattern or several?Psychosomatic Medicine, 40, 25–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, C.D., Zyzanski, S.J. & Rosenman, R.H. (1979).Jenkins Activity Survey Manual. New York: Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, C.D., Zyzanski, S.J., Rosenman, R.H., & Cleveland, G.L. (1971b). Association of coronary-prone behavior scores with recurrence of coronary heart disease.Journal of Chronic Diseases, 24, 601–611.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, D.W., & Shaper, A.G. (1983). Type a behavior in British men: Reliability and intercorrelation of two measures.Journal of Chronic Diseases, 36, 203–207.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keegan, D.L., Sinha, B.N., Merriman, J.E., & Shipley, C. (1979). Type A behaviour pattern: Relationship to coronary heart disease, personality and life adjustment.Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 24, 724–730.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keith, R.A., Lown, B., & Stare, F.J. (1965). Coronary heart disease and behavior patterns.Psychosomatic Medicine, 27, 424–434.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kenigsberg, D., Zyzanski, S.J., Jenkins, C.D., Wardwell, W.I., & Licciardello, A.T. (1974). The coronary-prone behavior pattern in hospitalized patients with and without coronary heart disease.Psychosomatic Medicine, 36, 344–351.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kittel, F., Kornitzer, M., Zyzanski, S.J., Jenkins, C.D., Rustin, R.M., & Degré, C. (1978). Two methods of assessing the Type A coronary-prone behaviour pattern in Belgium.Journal of Chronic Diseases, 31, 147–155.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kornitzer, M., Kittel, F., De Backer, G., & Dramaix, M. (1981). The Belgian heart disease prevention project: Type A behavior pattern and the prevalence of CHD.Psychosomatic Medicine, 43, 133–145.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koskenvuo, M., Kaprio, J., Langinvainio, H., Romo, M., & Sarna, S. (1981). Psychosocial and environmental correlates of coronary-prone behavior in Finland.Journal of Chronic Diseases, 34, 331–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacDougall, J.M., Dembroski, T.M., & Musante, L. (1979). The structured interview and questionnaire methods of assessing coronary-prone behavior in male and female college students.Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 2, 71–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, K.A. (1982). Psychological perspectives on the Type A behavior pattern.Psychological Bulletin, 91, 293–323.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, K.A., Glass, D.C., & Rosenman, R.H. (1977). Competitive drive, pattern A and coronary heart diseases: A further analysis of some data from the Western Collaborative Group Study.Journal of Chronic Diseases, 30, 489–498.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Orth-Gomér, K., Ahlbom, A., & Theorell, T. (1980). Impact of pattern A behavior on ischemic heart disease when controlling for conventional risk indicators.Journal of Human Stress, 6, 6–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rahe, R.H., Hervig, L. & Rosenman, R.H. (1978). The heritability of Type A behavior.Psychosomatic Medicine, 40, 478–486.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, N., & Heller, R.F. (1980). Experience with the Bortner questionnaire as a measure of Type A behaviour in a sample of U.K. families.Psychological Medicine, 10, 567–571.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenman, R.H. (1978). The interview method of assessment of the coronary-prone behavior pattern. In T.M. Dembroski, S.M. Weiss, J.L. Shields, S.G. Haynes, & M. Feinleib (Eds.),Coronary-prone behavior. New York: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenman, R.H., Brand, R.J., Jenkins, C.D., Friedman, M., Straus, R., & Wurm, M. (1975). Coronary heart disease in the western collaborative group study: Final follow experience of 8 1/2 years.Journal of the American Medical Association, 233, 872–877.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenman, R.H., Brand, R.J., Scholtz, R.I., & Friedman, M. (1976). Multivariate prediction of coronary heart disease during 8.5 years follow up in the western collaborative group study.American Journal of Cardiology, 37, 903–910.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenman, R.H., & Chesney, M.A. (1980). The relationship of Type A behavior pattern to coronary heart disease.Activitas Nervosa Superior, 22, 1–45.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenman, R.H., & Chesney, M.A. (1981). Stress, Type A behavior and coronary heart disease. In L. Goldberg & S. Breznitz (Eds.),Handbook of stress: Theoretical and clinical aspects. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenman, R.H., & Friedman, M. (1961). Association of specific behavior pattern in women with blood and cardiovascular findings.Circulation, 24, 1173–1184.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenman, R.H., Friedman, M., Straus, R., Wurm, M., Jenkins, C.D., & Messinger, H.B. (1966). Coronary heart disease in the western collaborative group study: A follow up experience of 2 years.Journal of the American Medical Association, 195, 86–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenman, R.H., Friedman, M., Straus, R., Wurm, M., Kositchek, R., Hahn, W., & Werthessen, N.T. (1964). A predictive study of coronary heart disease. The Western Collaborative Group Study.Journal of the American Medical Association, 189, 15–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rustin, R.M., Dramaiz, M., Kittel, F., Degré, C., Kornitzer, M., Thilly, C., & de-Backer, G. (1976). Validation de techniques d’évaluation du profil comportemental “A” utilsées dans le “Project Belge de Prevention des affections cardiovasculairs” (P.B.P.).Revue Epidémiologie et Santé Publique, 24, 497–507.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scherwitz, L., Berton, K., & Leventhal, H. (1977). Type A assessment and interaction in the behavior pattern interview.Psychosomatic Medicine, 39, 229–240.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schucker, B., & Jacobs, D.R. (1977). Assessment of behavioral risk for coronary disease by voice characteristics.Psychosomatic Medicine, 39, 219–228.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shekelle, R.B., Schoenberger, J.A., & Stamler, J. (1976). Correlates of the JAS Type A behaviour pattern score.Journal of Chronic Diseases, 29, 381–394.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Somes, G.W., Garrity, F.F., & Marx, M.B. (1981). The relationship of coronary prone behavior pattern to health of college students at varying levels of recent life change.Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 25, 565–572.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Verhagen, F., Nass, C., Appels, A., van Bastelaer, A., & Winnubst, J. (1980). Cross validation of the A/B typology in the Netherlands.Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 34, 178–186.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waldron, I. (1977). Sex differences in the coronary-prone behavior pattern.Proceedings of the Forum on Coronary-prone Behavior. U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare. Publishing number (NIH) 78–1451.

  • Waldron, I. (1978). Type A behaviour pattern and coronary heart disease in men and women.Social Science and Medicine, 1213, 167–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldron, I., Zyzanski, S.J., Shekelle, R.B., Jenkins, C.D., & Tannenbaum S. (1977). The coronary-prone behavior pattern in employed men and women.Journal of Human Stress, 3, 2–18.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zyzanski, S.J., & Jenkins, C.D. (1970). Basic dimensions within the coronary prone behavior pattern.Journal of Chronic Diseases, 22, 781–795.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zyzanski, S.J., Wrzesniewski, K., & Jenkins, C.D. (1979). Cross-cultural validation of the coronary-prone behavior pattern.Social Science and Medicine, 13A, 405–412.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Exeter, UK

    Barbara A. O’Looney

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Birmingham, P.O. Box 363, B15 2TT, Birmingham, UK

    Barbara A. O’Looney

Authors
  1. Barbara A. O’Looney
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This work was supported by a grant from the Health Education Council, London, under the supervision of Professor J.R. Eiser at the Department of Psychology, University of Exeter.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

O’Looney, B.A. The assessment of type a behavior and the prediction of coronary heart disease: A review. Current Psychology 3, 63–84 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02686559

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02686559

Keywords

Search

Navigation