Biomedical subjects

L C O'Toole

Publications and source records attributed to L C O'Toole.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1985

Development of a brief self-report measure of the type A (coronary prone) behavior pattern.

This study reports the development of a brief self-report measure of the Type A behavior pattern based upon a set of adjectives derived from the Gough Adjective Checklist (ACL). Previous work from our laboratory established a set of adjectives identified by experts as being relevant to the Type A construct that subsequently was found to successfully distinguish Type A individuals from their Type B counterparts. In the present study, a Type A self-rating scale based on these adjectives was found to be significantly related to an established Type A self-report instrument, the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS), and to an independent behavioral rating based upon a standard structured interview (SI). However, no measure of Type A was related to the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) as documented by coronary angiography. The advantages and disadvantages of the various Type A measures are discussed in the context of their ability to identify individuals at risk for the development of CAD.

Coronary Disease↗

PubMed1984

Is running an analogue of anorexia nervosa? An empirical study of obligatory running and anorexia nervosa.

A recent report suggested that compulsive runners share a common set of psychological traits and behavioral dispositions with patients with anorexia nervosa. In an effort to objectively assess the similarity between anorexia nervosa and obligatory running, 43 runners and 24 patients with anorexia nervosa completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Results indicated that the obligatory runners generally scored within the normal range, while the anorectic patients did not. The anorectic patients obtained more pathological scores than the runners on eight of the ten clinical subscales of the MMPI. Fifty percent of the anorectic patients obtained elevations on three or more of the MMPI subscales, while no runners obtained more than two scale elevations. Depression (scale 2) and psychopathy (scale 4) were particularly prevalent in the anorectic group. We conclude that obligatory runners do not suffer from the same degree of psychopathology as do patients with anorexia nervosa.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Behavioral assessment of the type A behavior pattern.

The present study attempted to assess systematically a set of behavioral subcomponents associated with the Type A behavior pattern. Sixty middle-aged men underwent the structured interview (SI) and a repeated version of the SI after a four-month interval. A high degree of interrater reliability was established for a number of behavioral components including speed and volume of speech, motoric activity, expiratory sighs, response latency, interruptions, unevenness of speech, plosive words, and potential for hostility. In general, these behaviors were stable over the four-month interval, although they did not all distinguish Type As from Type Bs. Only four behaviors successfully discriminated Type As and Bs at both interview sessions: speed of speech, volume of speech, number of interruptions, and potential for hostility. The results are discussed in terms of how these behavioral subcomponents may contribute to increased risk of premature coronary disease.

Coronary Disease↗