PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CORRELATES OF TYPE A BEHA

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One primary objective of the proposed study is to test the concurrent relationship, in a general population sample, of the structured interview Type A global and component measures to chronic (platelet catecholamines) and acute (plasma catecholamines) levels of sympathetic nervous system activity. Measures of heart rate, blood pressure, and pupil size will also be included as potential measures of arousal level, and the correlations of these measures with the global and component Type A measures and the plasma and platelet catecholamine measures will be determined. A second primary objective is to test the concurrent relationship of measures of global health, chronic illness, and functional disability to the measures of global and component Type A behavior, plasma and platelet catecholamines, heart rate, blood pressure, and pupil size. A third primary objective is to test the long-term (five year) predictability of global health, chronic illness, and functional disability from measures of global and component Type A behavior, along with measures of health behavior, marital stress, and spouse characteristics. A fourth primary objective is to test differences in the chronic and acute sympathetic-adrenal responses, as assessed by platelet and plasma catecholamines, pupil size, heart rate, and blood pressure, among married couples having different combinations of global and component Type A classifications. A fifth primary objective is to test the comparative marital stability and health of couples having different combinations of global and component Type A classifications. A sixth primary objective is to compare the long-term stability with the short-term test-retest reliability of the global and component Type A behavior assessments. In addition, secondary, methodological objectives of the proposed study are to: 1) provide data on the factor structure of the component measures of Type A behavior and the correlations of the components with the global Type A measure, 2) provide additional data on the interrater reliabilities of the global and component Type A measures, and 3) provide a replication of the relationships of the global and component Type A measures to sociodemographic variables, including race, sex, income, education, age, occupation, and marital status.