Physiological correlates of the coronary-prone behavior pattern in women during examination stress

Abstract

This research is an assessment of the physiological correlates of Type A behavior in college-aged women. Subjects were monitored while they took a midterm statistics examination; the dependent variables were systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability. Type A or B behavior was assessed with the student form of the Jenkins Activity Survey. The results indicated that Type A women had higher levels of systolic blood pressure and heart rate, and lower levels of heart rate variability. Thus, when the stressor was a genuine examination, Type A behavior in young women was associated with increased physiological response levels compared to Type B's, a finding consistent with the hypothesis that Type A behavior is associated with sympathetic nervous system activity.