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Biomedical subjects

M A Morell

Publications and source records attributed to M A Morell.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Marital relationships and Type A-B behavior assessed using the structured interview, Jenkins Activity Survey, and Framingham Type A Scale.

Associations between spouses' Type A/Type B Behavior and marital distress, communication, and desired relationship changes were investigated in a sample of 42 healthy Caucasian couples aged 39 to 60 years. Consistency of relationships between marital distress and behavior type (BT) across different BT measurement techniques was also evaluated. BT was measured using the Structured Interview (SI), the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS), and the Framingham Type A Scale (FTAS). Type A behavior in women was associated with increased marital distress and communication difficulties, as reported by both men and women. Participants also desired greater relationship changes when women were Type A. Findings varied greatly across BT measures. The strongest effect occurred for the FTAS, followed by the JAS. No significant effects were found for SI-assessed BT. Results reflect the multifaceted nature of the Type A construct and may reflect gender role differences within marital relationships.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Psychophysiologic stress responsivity in type A and B female college students and community women.

Extreme Type A and Type B women (Jenkins Activity Survey) randomly assigned to low or high stress conditions of a forced choice reaction time task were monitored for heart rate (interbeat intervals), pulse transit time, skin conductance levels, and skin conductance responses during baseline, task, and recovery periods. Participants included 41 female undergraduates (student sample) and 58 women aged 25-65 years (community sample). Multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that among the students, Type As exposed to high stress had significantly higher skin conductance levels at baseline than did the Type As in low stress. During the reaction time stress task, student Type As in high versus low stress exhibited both higher heart rates and more skin conductance responses, although these effects did not occur for Type Bs. After covarying the baseline physiologic indices, results revealed that both heart rate and skin conductance levels were significantly higher for students in high versus low stress, but the Behavior Type X Stress interaction disappeared. In contrast, the Behavior Type X Stress interaction remained for skin conductance responses. Findings in the community sample showed only a nonsignificant trend for higher heart rate in high stress Type As than in low stress Type As. These results provide very weak evidence for a relationship in physiological indices between Type A behavior and stress in women across a broad age range. Implications are discussed with regard to sex differences in behavior type and possible interactions between behavior type and stress responsivity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Psychophysiological reactivity to mental arithmetic stress in black and white normotensive men.

Racial differences in physiological responses to a behavioral stressor were examined. Thirty-four Black and 42 White male normotensives 34 to 55 years old (mean age = 43.01 years) performed a mental arithmetic task while blood pressure, heart rate, and skin conductance were recorded. Compared to Whites, Blacks had significantly higher baseline diastolic blood pressure (77.93 mm Hg vs. 73.11 mm Hg) and lower skin conductance levels (11.08 microS vs. 12.25 microS). These effects persisted during performance of the mental arithmetic task. However, when baseline differences were covaried, there were no significant physiological effects associated with the task. Analysis of changes in response levels from baseline revealed a nonsignificant trend for Whites to show greater increases in systolic blood pressure than Blacks. There were no significant race or family history effects. Further, task performance did not influence the outcome. Failure to demonstrate greater cardiovascular reactivity in Blacks and all men with a positive family history of hypertension is discussed with regard to possible "survivor effects" and methodologic limitations.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Study of behavioral factors associated with psychiatric rehospitalization.

Archival data from daily logs maintained at a private proprietary home were tracked from four to 29 weeks prior to psychiatric rehospitalization for ten deinstitutionalized adult females and ten nonhospitalized controls. Three raters coded behavioral incidents into ten categories. The rehospitalized women had significantly more incidents than did the controls, including more affective disturbances (depression, anxiety, anger, and interpersonal concerns) and more attempts to secure psychiatric rehospitalization. The rehospitalized groups also exhibited symptomatic behavior for a greater number of weeks than did the control group, suggesting that the symptom pattern was probably detectable long before rehospitalization was necessary. Peaks in incidence frequency often occurred several weeks prior to rehospitalization.

Adult↗