Type A Behaviour Pattern among Indian Children

Seeing its efficacy in predicting pathological coronary conditions, the early identification of the Type A behavior pattern has become increasingly important. While limited research is available on children in the USA (e.g., Mathews & Angulo, 1980), the course of the development of Type A behavior in India is obscure. In view of the above, the present investigation was undertaken with three objectives in mind. These were (i) to identify Type A behavior in preadolescent Indian boys and girls, (ii) to examine differences by age and sex, and (iii) to assess the correlation between parents' and teachers' ratings since the identification of this behavior pattern in children depends primarily upon such ratings. Thirty fourth- and 30 sixth-grade boys and girls (15 of each sex) from the age range 8-11 yr. were randomly chosen from a school in Punjab, India, which caters mainly to the middleincome group. Mothers and class teachers of the above-mentioned 60 children were personally contacted and asked to indicate which of the 17 items of the Mathews Youth Test for Health (Mathews & Angulo, 1980) was characteristic of the child. The items were scored for Type A-B (scores of nine and above indicating Type A, while those below eight ~ndicated Type B) and the two subfactors (competitive-achievement-striving and impatience-aggression). Analysis showed that Type A behavior may be observed among preadolescent Indian children. The mean Type A-B score was higher for boys than for girls in both age groups as rated by both mothers and teachers. Significant sex differences were, however, obtained only for the teachers' ratings of the older groups for Type A-B (t28 = 3.07, p<.01) and competitiveachievement-striving (t= 4.35, p<.01). Girls scored lower than boys on the latter. Age differences were also noticeable. While older boys tended to score marginally higher on Type A, the opposite was true for older girls. Significant differences emerged in teachers' ratings for girls on Type A-B (tZ8 = 2.46, p< .05) and on the impatience-aggressive factor on which the older girls had a lower mean score (t2s = 4.74, pC.01). The relationship between teachers' and mothers' ratings seemed to depend on the sex of the child, being significant for boys (rza = .36, pc.05) but not for girls on Type A-B and its subfactors. While boys may be rated by either mothers or teachers, assessment of Type A behavior in girls appears to be rater-specific. REFERENCE

Aggression · Developmental psychology · Personality · Type A and Type B personality theory · Acute Myocardial Infarction Research · Demography · Psychology · Social Psychology