RESUMEN
The purpose of the present study was to empirically identify individuals who differed in their patterns of components derived from the structured interview (SI), and to evaluate whether individuals characterized by the different patterns varied in terms of their risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). The present study represents a reanalysis of data from the Western Collaborative Group Study in which components of Type A were individually related to risk for CHD. Subgroups of individuals who differed in the patterns of their component scores were identified by means of cluster analytic techniques and were found to vary in their risk of CHD. As expected, a pattern of characteristics in which hostility was salient was found to be predictive of CHD. Moreover, another pattern of characteristics that appears to reflect pressured, controlling, socially dominant behavior in which hostility was not salient also was found to be predictive of CHD. Further, two patterns of characteristics were identified that were unrelated to CHD risk. Finally, two patterns of characteristics were identified that were related to reduced risk of CHD. Overall, these results suggest that future research should investigate variables in addition to hostility in regard to risk for and protection from CHD.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedad Coronaria/psicología , Rol del Enfermo , Personalidad Tipo A , Adulto , Enfermedad Coronaria/etiología , Enfermedad Coronaria/prevención & control , Humanos , Individualidad , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Determinación de la Personalidad , Factores de RiesgoRESUMEN
Early descriptions of the Type A coronary-prone pattern include both nonverbal and motoric signs. Facial behaviors during the Type A Structured Interview of 24 Type A and 24 Type B men were examined using the Facial Action Coding System. In addition, speech components and heart rate reactivity during the Structured Interviews were examined. Among the facial behaviors assessed, two significantly differentiated Type As from Type Bs: Glare and Disgust. The Glare and Disgust facial scores correlated significantly with a number of speech components, most notably Hostility, which has been found to be associated with CHD incidence in other research. No differences between the two behavior types were found for heart rate reactivity. Implications of the findings for the understanding and assessment of coronary-prone behaviors such as hostility are discussed.
Asunto(s)
Nivel de Alerta , Enfermedad Coronaria/psicología , Expresión Facial , Personalidad Tipo A , Conducta Verbal , Adulto , Electrocardiografía Ambulatoria , Emociones , Frecuencia Cardíaca , Hostilidad , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Determinación de la Personalidad , Procesamiento de Señales Asistido por ComputadorRESUMEN
Two-hundred-fifty CHD cases and 500 matched controls from the Western Collaborative Group Study were studied to assess the 8.5-yr prospective relationship of specific behavioral dimensions to the incidence of coronary heart disease. Type A structured interviews administered at intake were reevaluated in terms of 12 operationally defined components, which include previously described facets of the Type A behavior pattern. Univariate risk analyses using the matched logistic model found hostility (RR = 1.92, p less than 0.001), speaking rate (RR = 1.66, p = 0.003), immediateness (RR = 1.62, p = 0.009), competitiveness (RR = 1.50, p = 0.013), and Type A content (RR = 1.38, p = 0.045) to be significantly related to CHD incidence. Of these, only hostility remained a significant risk factor (RR = 1.93, p less than 0.001) when all 12 components were included in the model. The original Type A global ratings and traditional CHD risk factors were also analyzed in conjunction with the components. The Type A behavior pattern comprises both benign and coronary-prone facets, with the latter most exemplified by hostility.