Anxiety, Type a Behavior, and Cardiovascular Disease

Males with anxiety disorders appear to have increased mortality due to circulatory system disease, and Type A behavior is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). Thus, we determined Type A behavior in anxious patients. Fifty-seven DSM-III defined anxiety disorder patients completed the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). Significantly more male (92%) than female (52%) anxious patients had Type A behavior. Correlations between the JAS scales and SCL-90-R subscales were also different between male and female patients; in males, significant correlations were observed for SCL-90-R anxiety with both JAS Type A and JAS Hard-Driving and Competitive, and for SCL-90-R hostility with JAS Hard-Driving and Competitive. However, there were no consistent correlations between the JAS and the SCL-90-R subscales in females. A trend for fathers of anxious patients to have an increased prevalence of CHD was also observed. The increased incidence of Type A behavior in male, but not in female, anxious patients suggest a mechanism for increased mortality due to circulatory disease in male anxiety patients.