Type A Personality as a Mediator of Stress and Strain in Employed Women

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Abstract
A survey of 136 employed women was conducted. Type A personality, demographic variables, job characteristics and attitudes, health habits, and physical and psychological symptoms of strain were assessed. Average Type A score was higher than the normative mean (57th percentile). Compared with Type Bs, the Type A women had been in their current jobs for a shorter time, worked longer hours, and were less satisfied with their jobs. None of the health habit behaviors was related to Type A score. Small but substantial proportions of the sample complained that they often or always experienced a variety of physical and psychological symptoms. The former were not related to Type A score, but Type A women did tend to report more nervousness in all situations and more dysphoria of all kinds at work. Correlations between job dissatisfaction and rated job stress with symptoms were calculated separately for Type As and Type Bs. Substantial correlations were found for the Type As but not the Type Bs. Dissatisfaction and stress were related to more frequent symptom complaints in the Type As. Correlations of health habits and symptoms were also computed for Type As and Bs separately. Implications for future research are discussed.