Type A Behavior and Vital Exhaustion as Related to the Metabolic Hormonal Variables of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

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Abstract
The authors examined the correlations of Type A behavior and vital exhaustion with the metabolic hormonal variables of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (ACTH and Cortisol), as well as with the ensuing parameters (insulin, glucose, and C-peptide). The participants were 64 healthy middle-aged men with stressful work. The authors found that Type A behavior and vital exhaustion were not correlated but made independent contributions to the single metabolic hormonal variables. The central finding was that when the whole HPA axis, Type A behavior, and exhaustion were all analyzed at the same time, Type A behavior per se had different, even opposite, hormonal correlates from Type A behavior associated with vital exhaustion. Type A behavior by itself was not related to a metabolic hormonal dysfunction. However, the Type A by vital exhaustion interaction was statistically significant. This finding suggests that the quality or components of Type A behavior, particularly the presence of vital exhaustion, may be more important than the intensity of Type A behavior considered alone.