Type A behaviour and pressor response in a representative sample of middle-aged men

The hypothesis that type A behaviour is associated with greater pressor response to stress was tested in a representative sample of 114 men aged 30-65 yr. Jenkins Activity Survey, Framingham and Bortner type A scores were related to blood pressure and heart rate under rest, serial reaction time, mental arithmetic, and noise conditions. Type A scores were modestly intercorrelated (r = 0.59 to r = 0.67). Type A scores were inversely related to age and resting systolic pressure and were independent of smoking history, social class, marital status, and task performance parameters. Type A scores were not related to pressor or heart rate response to stress under any of the stress conditions. These findings do not support the importance of physiological response as an explanation of the association between type A and heart disease.