Affective state, stress, and Type A-personality as a function of gender and affective profiles

Three studies were performed to examine positive and negative affect, stress and energy, and Type-A personality as a function of Gender and Affective profiles. In Study I, 304 university students (152 male and 152 female), in Study II, 142 pupils at upper secondary school (95 male and 47 female) and in Study III, 166 pupils at upper secondary school (84 male and 82 female) completed self-report questionnaires pertaining to Positive affect and Negative affect Scales (PANAS), stress and energy (SE), the Type A-personality scale and a Background and Health questionnaire. The results indicated gender effects by which female participants expressed a higher level of negative affect, stress and Type A-personality were found in all three studies, as well as for energy in Study I. There were marked effects of Affective profiles upon stress, energy and Type A-personality in all three studies. Regression analysis indicated that Type A-personality could be predicted from a high level of Negative Affect (Study I, II and III) as well as from high levels of stress (Study I and II). All three studies indicate a link between negative affectivity, stress and Type A-personality with consequences for the maladaptive behavioral patterns implying health hazards.