Why the study?
Does the personality trait dependence/independence moderate the hemodynamic and catecholaminergic response to stress in Type A individuals?
Does the personality trait dependence/independence moderate the hemodynamic and catecholaminergic response to stress in Type A individuals?
Type A individuals with strong dependency needs exhibit greater sympathetic-adrenal responses to stress, suggesting a potential mechanism for increased coronary disease risk.
May identify dependency as a moderator of Type A stress responses; leaves open effects on coronary prevention.
This study examined, under two types of stress and during a typical workday, the moderating effects of the personality trait dependence/independence on the hemodynamic and catecholaminergic response in Type A individuals. During the mental stressor, Type As with strong dependency needs showed elevated heart rates and higher levels of epinephrine. During the physical stressor, they showed elevated heart rates and higher levels of norepinephrine. During the typical workday, both urinary catecholamines and mean daily heart rates were higher. It is suggested that these findings, which indicate greater sympathetic-adrenal response, are the result of a basic personality/behavior inconsistency and that Type A behavior may have an accentuated relationship to coronary disease when overlaid on a personality for which it is inconsistent.
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Howard et al. (1990) studied this question.
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