Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Industrial Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Industrial Medicine
. 1992 Oct;49(10):683–687. doi: 10.1136/oem.49.10.683

Musculoskeletal symptoms and type A behaviour in blue collar workers.

B T Flodmark, G Aase
PMCID: PMC1012142  PMID: 1419855

Abstract

OBJECTIVE--Type A behaviour pattern, characterised by excessive competitiveness, impatience, hostility and time urgency, has been previously investigated as a risk factor for coronary heart disease. There are few studies concerning musculoskeletal symptoms and type A behaviour. Could there be a higher frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms with a more pronounced type A behaviour? DESIGN--A cross sectional retrospective study. Standardised nordic questionnaires were used for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms and the Bortner questionnaire and its subscales (1) speed and (2) hard driving and competitiveness were used to assess type A behaviour. SETTING--Factory based (a manufacturing industry where they make ventilating shafts). SUBJECTS--58 blue collar workers (51 men and seven women). Mean age was 36.9 years. Mean employment time was seven years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--Blue collar workers with musculoskeletal symptoms had a more pronounced type A behaviour than those without symptoms. RESULTS--For shoulder symptoms during the past 12 months blue collar workers had a more pronounced type A behaviour (p < 0.001). For symptoms during the past seven days the results were significant for the neck (p < 0.01), the shoulder (p < 0.01), and also for lower back pain (p < 0.05). There were no differences in age, psychosocial factors, or psychosomatic symptoms. According to the Bortner subscales, the speed subscale seems to be more important than the hard driving and competitiveness subscales. CONCLUSIONS--Blue collar workers with a more pronounced type A behaviour seem to have a higher incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms.

Full text

PDF
683

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bigos S. J., Battié M. C., Spengler D. M., Fisher L. D., Fordyce W. E., Hansson T. H., Nachemson A. L., Wortley M. D. A prospective study of work perceptions and psychosocial factors affecting the report of back injury. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 1991 Jan;16(1):1–6. doi: 10.1097/00007632-199101000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bortner R. W. A short rating scale as a potential measure of pattern A behavior. J Chronic Dis. 1969 Jul;22(2):87–91. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(69)90061-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brackett C. D., Powell L. H. Psychosocial and physiological predictors of sudden cardiac death after healing of acute myocardial infarction. Am J Cardiol. 1988 May 1;61(13):979–983. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(88)90110-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Carver C. S., Coleman A. E., Glass D. C. The coronary-prone behavior pattern and the suppression of fatigue on a treadmill test. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1976 Apr;33(4):460–466. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.33.4.460. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Edwards J. R., Baglioni A. J., Jr, Cooper C. L. The psychometric properties of the Bortner Type A Scale. Br J Psychol. 1990 Aug;81(Pt 3):315–333. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1990.tb02364.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. FRIEDMAN M., ROSENMAN R. H. Association of specific overt behavior pattern with blood and cardiovascular findings; blood cholesterol level, blood clotting time, incidence of arcus senilis, and clinical coronary artery disease. J Am Med Assoc. 1959 Mar 21;169(12):1286–1296. doi: 10.1001/jama.1959.03000290012005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Friedman H. S., Booth-Kewley S. The "disease-prone personality". A meta-analytic view of the construct. Am Psychol. 1987 Jun;42(6):539–555. doi: 10.1037//0003-066x.42.6.539. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Friedman M. Type A behavior: a frequently misdiagnosed and rarely treated medical disorder. Am Heart J. 1988 Apr;115(4):930–936. doi: 10.1016/0002-8703(88)90906-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Haynes S. G., Feinleib M., Kannel W. B. The relationship of psychosocial factors to coronary heart disease in the Framingham Study. III. Eight-year incidence of coronary heart disease. Am J Epidemiol. 1980 Jan;111(1):37–58. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112873. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Jenkins C. D. Psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease. Acta Med Scand Suppl. 1982;660:123–136. doi: 10.1111/j.0954-6820.1982.tb00368.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Jenkins C. D., Zyzanski S. J., Rosenman R. H. Progress toward validation of a computer-scored test for the type A coronary-prone behavior pattern. Psychosom Med. 1971 May-Jun;33(3):193–202. doi: 10.1097/00006842-197105000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Johnston D. W., Shaper A. G. Type A behaviour in British men: reliability and intercorrelation of two measures. J Chronic Dis. 1983;36(2):203–207. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(83)90094-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kelly K. E., Houston B. K. Type A behavior in employed women: relation to work, marital, and leisure variables, social support, stress, tension, and health. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1985 Apr;48(4):1067–1079. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.48.4.1067. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kuorinka I., Jonsson B., Kilbom A., Vinterberg H., Biering-Sørensen F., Andersson G., Jørgensen K. Standardised Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. Appl Ergon. 1987 Sep;18(3):233–237. doi: 10.1016/0003-6870(87)90010-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Matthews K. A., Brunson B. I. Allocation of attention and the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1979 Nov;37(11):2081–2090. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.37.11.2081. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Matthews K. A., Haynes S. G. Type A behavior pattern and coronary disease risk. Update and critical evaluation. Am J Epidemiol. 1986 Jun;123(6):923–960. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114347. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Matthews K. A., Siegel J. M., Kuller L. H., Thompson M., Varat M. Determinants of decisions to seek medical treatment by patients with acute myocardial infarction symptoms. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1983 Jun;44(6):1144–1156. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.44.6.1144. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Salminen J. J., Pentti J., Wickström G. Tenderness and pain in neck and shoulders in relation to Type A behaviour. Scand J Rheumatol. 1991;20(5):344–350. doi: 10.3109/03009749109096810. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Suls J., Sanders G. S. Type A behavior as a general risk factor for physical disorder. J Behav Med. 1988 Jun;11(3):201–226. doi: 10.1007/BF00844428. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Tassinary L. G., Cacioppo J. T., Geen T. R. A psychometric study of surface electrode placements for facial electromyographic recording: I. The brow and cheek muscle regions. Psychophysiology. 1989 Jan;26(1):1–16. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1989.tb03125.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Weidner G., Matthews K. A. Reported physical symptoms elicited by unpredictable events and the type A coronary-prone behavior pattern. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1978 Nov;36(11):1213–1220. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.36.11.1213. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Williams R. B., Jr, Lane J. D., Kuhn C. M., Melosh W., White A. D., Schanberg S. M. Type A behavior and elevated physiological and neuroendocrine responses to cognitive tasks. Science. 1982 Oct 29;218(4571):483–485. doi: 10.1126/science.7123248. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Industrial Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES