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Type A, marital adjustment, and life stress

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Abstract

Prior research has indicated that both the Type A behavior pattern and recent life stress may increase risk for heart disease and has suggested that social (e.g., marital) support may (a) be influenced by Type A and (b) serve as a moderating influence in the stress-illness relationship. To assess relationships among these variables, both members of 101 married couples were assessed on self-reports of A-B status, life stress, and marital adjustment. Results indicated substantially lower adjustment in one of the four possible husband-wife pairings: A husband/B wife. The poor adjustment of this pairing may reflect the work (rather than home and marriage) orientedness of the A husband, a negative force in the marriage which may be contrasted with the wife's traditional commitment to the successful functioning of the home, a commitment which is sufficient to counter the Type A husband's negative effect only when the wife is a Type A herself.

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Author notes

  1. Nancy T. Blaney

    Present address: Spanish Family Guidance Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Miami School of Medicine, 33136, Miami, Florida

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Florida International University, 33199, Miami, Florida

    Nancy T. Blaney

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Miami, 33124, Coral Gables, Florida

    Pamela Brown & Paul H. Blaney

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  2. Pamela Brown
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Blaney, N.T., Brown, P. & Blaney, P.H. Type A, marital adjustment, and life stress. J Behav Med 9, 491–502 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00845135

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