The Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern in Hospitalized Patients with and without Coronary Heart Disease

Male and female hospitalized patients aged 22 to 64 years with coronary heart disease and noncardiovascular diseases were compared in terms of selected behavioral variables at Bridgeport (Connecticut) Hospital. The coronary patients were drawn from the post-coronary unit and the controls from patients hospitalized for surgery or traumatic injury. The major behavioral assessment was the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) designed to measure the coronary-prone behavior pattern (Type A). CHD patients were found to score more in the Type A direction and were more hard-driving than those with other health crises. These results replicate earlier findings from a large retrospective analysis of an industrial study in California. The differences observed were evaluated in terms of other demographic variables and found not to be influenced by them. This was also the first study to use the JAS with female CHD patients. Women with CHD scored higher than women controls on both the Type A and hard-driving scales, as did the men.