Health Psych Lecture 7 Stress Biopsychosocial Factors and Illness 3 I A B C D E Coronary prone personality Type A behavior pattern 1 Friedman and Rosenman 2 Link between Type A behavior pattern and heart disease Type B behavior pattern 1 Relaxed less competitive Rosenman et al 1 Type A personality resulted in Coronary Heart Disease 10 years later Framingam 1980 1 Found that type A personality has twice the risk of CHD Personality attributions of Type A 1 Booth Kewley and Friedman found only modest association between type A and CHD a Powch and Houston hostility and stress correlation b Kaplan and Manuck aggressive male monkeys with social instability Hostility actually deciphers CHD a Meta analysis b Hostility Potential mechanisms 1 Cardiovascular activity II A 2 Greater levels of interpersonal conflict 3 Lower levels of social support 4 Health behaviors a Job may require early mornings late nights Lack of sleep stress 1 Caffeine intake b 5 Appraisal a Success hungry always under pressure B Friedman and Booth Kewley 1987 1 Different categories of type A personalities a Expressive Type As True Type As b c Unexpressive Type Bs d True Type Bs a Led to reduction in MI III A Dispositional Optimism Secure and Carver 1985 1 Life Orientation Test 2 Training for people with Type A behavior pattern a In uncertain times I expect the best b If something can go wrong for me it will R 2 Generally associates with positive health outcomes 3 But it is self reported 4 Optimism associated with positive health behaviors a Takes vitamins exercises regularly B Scheier et al 1 Faster recovery from Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery CABS 2 Dispositional optimism recovery from CABS a Faster rate of physical recovery b c Higher quality of life at 6 months Faster rate of return to normal life activities C 3 Mechanisms Unrealistic optimism 1 Bad things won t happen to me D Defensive pessimism IV V VI A B C A B A B 1 Cautious worried about getting into a car accident so wears seatbelt Sociability Personality trait that drives people to have positive interactions with other people Cohen et al 2003 1 Sociability protects health a Strengthens immune system Less likely to get colds b 2 Reported better quality of sleep lower stress hormones Friedman et al 1993 1 Scientists and engineers had lower levels of sociability but were at lower risk of pre mature mortality Conscientiousness Lower mortality risk Friedman et al 1993 1 Kids who are more conscientious at younger age live longer Neuroticism Mixed findings Costa McCrae 1 Anxiety better predictor of angina than MI