Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wg55d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-15T09:35:08.379Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dimensions of social insecurity and their relation to coronary-prone behaviour in college undergraduates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Paul R. Yarnold  and
Fred B. Bryant
Paul R. Yarnold*
Affiliation:
Northwestern University Medical School and University of Illinois at Chicago, and Loyola University of Chicago
Fred B. Bryant
Affiliation:
Northwestern University Medical School and University of Illinois at Chicago, and Loyola University of Chicago
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr P. R. Yarnold, Northwestern University, The Medical School, Wesley Pavilion–Suite 296, 250 East Superior street, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

Research suggests that Type A behaviour and ‘social insecurity’ (SI) may represent independent additive task factors for coronary disease. Research examining SI and Type A behaviour, however, has not rigorously evaluated the structure of the SI scale. The present study examined the structure of a previously used eight-item SI scale, and its relation to a questionnaire measure of Type A (the student Jenkins Activity Survey), for a sample of 504 undergraduates. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of responses to the SI items revealed a three-factor solution was most appropriate for Type As, and a two-factor solution for Type Bs. For both As and Bs, the first factor reflected insecurity regarding one's own capabilities and worth (self-specific insecurity), and the second factor reflected insecurity specific to a group or social context (group-specific insecurity). A third factor emerging only for Type As reflected insecurity regarding others' capabilities (other-directed insecurity). Semipartial correlations revealed Type A total score was marginally negatively related to group-specific insecurity and marginally positively related to other-directed insecurity, corroborating previous angiographic and prospective medical research. The hard-driving/competitive subscale was significantly negatively related to self-specific insecurity, supporting evidence regarding Type A and interpersonal dominance, competitiveness, and aggression.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 17 , Issue 3 , August 1987 , pp. 715 - 725
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allport, G. W. (1937). Personality: A Psychological Interpretation. Holt: New YorkGoogle Scholar
Alwin, D. E. & Jackson, D. J. (1979). Measurement models for response error in surveys: issues and applications. In Sociological Methodology, 1980. (ed. Schuessler, K. E.), pp. 68–119. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.Google Scholar
Amick, D. J. & Walberg, H. J. (1975). Introductory Multivariate Analysis. McCutchan Publishing Corporation: Berkeley, CA.Google Scholar
Asher, C. C. (1984). The impact of social support neworks on adult health. Medical Care 22, 349–359.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bentler, P. M. & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin 88, 588–606.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blumenthal, J. A., Thompson, L. W., Williams, R. B. Jr, & Kong, Y. (1979). Anxiety-proneness and coronary heart disease. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 23, 17–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bryant, F. B. (1986). Improving the quality of research synthesis in program evaluation. Policy Studies Review 5, 709–721.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bryant, F. B. & Veroff, J. (1982). The structure of psychological well-being: a sociohistorical analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 43, 543–576.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bryant, F. B. & Veroff, J. (1984). Dimensions of subjective mental health in American men and women. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 25, 116–135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bryant, F. B. & Wortman, P. M. (1978). Secondary analysis: the case for data archives. American Psychologist 33, 381–387.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bryant, F. B. & Yarnold, P. R. (1987). A measurement model for the short student version of the Jenkins Activity Survey.Manuscript Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association,Chicago.Google Scholar
Burke, R. J. (1984). Beliefs and fears underlying Type A behaviour. Psychological Reports 54, 655–662.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen, J. & Cohen, P. C. (1975). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. Erlbaum: Hillsdale, NJ.Google Scholar
Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (1979). Quasi-Experimentation: Design and Analysis Issues for Field Settings. Rand McNally: Chicago.Google Scholar
Cunningham, W. R. (1978). Principles for identifying structural differences. Journal of Gerontology 33, 82–86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Curran, J. P., Corriveau, D. P., Monti, P. M. & Hagerman, S. B. (1980). Social skill and social anxiety: self report measurement in a psychiatric population. Behavior Modification 4, 493–507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, C. & Cowles, M. (1985). Type A behaviour assessment: a critical comment. Canadian Psychology 26, 39–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dembroski, T. M., Weiss, S. M., Shields, J. L., Haynes, S. G. & Feinleib, M. (1978). Coronary-Prone Behavior. Springer: New York.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Driel, O. P. (1978). On various causes of improper solutions in maximum likelihood factor analysis. Psychometrika 43, 225–243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finn, F., Mulcahy, R. & Hickery, N. (1974). The psychological profiles of coronary and cancer patients, and of matched controls. Irish Journal of Medical Science 143, 176–178.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Friedman, M. & Rosenman, R. H. (1974). Type A Behavior and Your Heart. Knopf: New York.Google Scholar
Friedman, M. & Ulmer, D. (1985). Treating Type A Behavior and Your Heart. Knopf: New York.Google Scholar
Glass, D. C. (1977). Behavior Patterns, Stress, and Coronary Disease. Erlbaum: Hillsdale, NJ.Google ScholarPubMed
Gormally, J., Sipps, G., Raphael, R., Edwin, D. & Varvil-Weld, D. (1981). The relationship between maladaptive cognitions and social anxiety. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology 49, 300–301.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gorsuch, R. L. (1974). Factor Analysis Saunders: Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Grau, B. W., Yarnold, P. R. & Grimm, L. G. (1982, 05). A multidimensional scaling of the student Jenkins Activity Survey.Presented at the Annual Meeting for the Society of Behavioral Medicine,Chicago.Google Scholar
Green, P. E. (1978). Analyzing Multivariate Data. Dryden Press: Hinsdale, Illinois.Google Scholar
Grimm, L. G. & Yarnold, P. R. (1985). Sex-typing and the coronary-prone behavior pattern. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research 12, 171–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansson, R. O., Hogan, R., Johnson, J. A. & Schroeder, D. (1983). Disentangling Type A behaviour: the roles of ambition, insensitivity, and anxiety. Journal of Research in Personality 17, 186–197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jackson, D. N. & Chan, D. W. (1980). Maximum-likelihood estimation in common factor analysis: a cautionary note. Psychological Bulletin 88, 502–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jenkins, C D., Zyzanski, S. J., Ryan, T. J., Flessas, A. & Tannenbaum, S. I. (1977). Social insecurity and coronary-prone Type A responses as identifiers of severe artherosclerosis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 45, 1060–1067.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joreskog, D. G. (1971). Simultaneous factor analysis in several populations. Psychometrika 36, 409–426.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jorsekog, D. G. & Sorbom, D. (1978). LISREL IV: Analysis of Linear Structural Relationships by the Method of Maximum Likelihood National Educational Resources: Chicago.Google Scholar
Kleinbaum, D. G. & Kupper, L. L. (1978). Applied Regression Analysis and Other Multivariable Problems Duxbury Press: North Suituate, MA.Google Scholar
Leary, M. R. (1983). Social anxiousness: the construct and its measurement. Journal of Personality Assessment 47, 66–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lundberg, U. (1980) Type A behaviour and its relation to personality variables in Swedish male and female university students. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 21, 133–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGaw, M. & Joreskog, D. G. (1971). Factorial invariance of ability measures in groups differing in intelligence and socioeconomic status. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology 24, 154–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthews, K. A. (1982). Psychological perspectives on the Type A behaviour pattern. Psychological Bulletin 91, 293–383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nielson, W. R. & Dobson, K. S. (1980). The coronary-prone behaviour pattern and trait anxiety: evidence for discriminant validity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 48, 546–547.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nunnally, J. C. (1967). Psychometric Theory. McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York.Google Scholar
Ostfeld, A. M., Lebovits, B. Z., Shekelle, R. B. & Paul, O. (1964). A prospective study of the relationship between personality and coronary heart disease. Journal of Chronic Disease 17, 265–276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Razin, A. M. (1982). Psychosocial intervention in coronary artery disease: a review. Psychosomatic Medicine 44, 363–386.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rejeski, W. J., Morley, D. & Sotile, W. (1985). Cardiac rehabilitation: conceptual framework for psychologic assessment. Journal of Cardiac Rehabilitation 5 172–180.Google Scholar
Reynolds, H. T. (1977). The Analysis of Cross-Classifications. The Free Press: New York.Google Scholar
Richardson, F. C. & Tasto, D. L. (1976). Development and factor analysis of a social anxiety inventory. Behavior Therapy 1, 453–462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenman, R. H. (1978). The interview method of assessment of the coronary-prone behaviour pattern. In Coronary-prone Behaviour. (ed. Dembroski, T. M., Weiss, S. M., Shields, J. L., Haynes, S. G. & Feinleib, M.), pp. 55–69. Springer-Verlag: New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryan, T. A. (1959). Multiple comparisons in psychological research. Psychological Bulletin 56, 26–47.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sears, D. O. (1986). College sophomores in the laboratory: influences of a narrow database on social psychology's view of human nature. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 51, 515–530.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shekelle, R. B., Ostfeld, A. M., Lebovits, B. Z. & Paul, O. (1970). Personality traits and CHD: a re-examination of Ibrahim's hypothesis using longitudinal data. Journal of Chronic Disease 23, 33–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, T. W. & Brehm, S. S. (1981). Cognitive correlates of the Type A coronary-prone behaviour pattern. Motivation and Emotions, 5, 215–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, T. W., Houston, B. K. & Zurawski, R. M. (1983). The Framingham Type A scale and anxiety, irrational beliefs and self-control. Journal of Human Stress 9, 32–37.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sorbom, D. & Joreskog, D. G. (1976). COFAMM. Confirmatory Factor Analysis with Model Modification, a FORTRAN IV Program. National Educational Resources Chicago.Google Scholar
Suls, J., Becker, M. A. & Mullen, B. (1981). Coronary-prone behaviour, social insecurity and stress among college-aged adults. Journal of Human Stress 7, 27–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tucker, L. R. & Lewis, C. (1973). A reliability coefficient for maximum likelihood factor analysis. Psychometrika 38, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Dul, H. (1979). Myocardial infarction patients and sociability. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 23, 3–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watson, D. & Friend, R. (1969). Measurement of social evaluative anxiety. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 33, 448–457.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Windelband, W. (1894). Geschichte und Naturwissenschaft [History and natural science] Heitz: Strassburg, Germany.Google Scholar
Yarnold, P. R. (1987 a). Instrumentality and expressiveness of coronary- and noncoronary-prone college undergraduates.Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,Chicago.Google Scholar
Yarnold, P. R. (1987 b). The strength, nature, and reliability of relationships between emotionality and Type A behaviour in a nonclinical sample of college undergraduates.Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,Chicago.Google Scholar
Yarnold, P. R. & Bryant, F. B. (1987). A note on measurement issues in Type A research: let's not throw out the baby with the bath water. Manuscript submitted for publication.Google Scholar
Yarnold, P. R. & Grimm, L. G. (1986). Interpersonal dominance and coronary prone behavior. Journal of Research in Personality 20, 420–433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yarnold, P. R. & Grimm, L. G. (1987). Interpersonal dominance of Type As and Bs during involved group discussions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology (in the press).Google Scholar
Yarnold, P. R., Mueser, K. T. & Grimm, L. G. (1985). Interpersonal dominance of Type As in group discussions. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 94, 233–236.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yarnold, P. R., Mueser, K. T., Grau, B. W. & Grimm, L. G. (1986). The reliability of the Student version of the Jenkins Activity Survey. Journal of Behavioral Medicine 9, 401–414.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yarnold, P. R., Bryant, F. B. & Grimm, L. G. (1987 a). Comparing the short and long versions of the student Jenkins Activity Survey. Journal of Behavioral Medicine 10, 75–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yarnold, P. R., Grimm, L. G. & Lyons, J. S. (1987 b). The Wiggins Interpersonal Behavior Circle and the Type A behaviour pattern. Journal of Research in Personality (in the press).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yarnold, P. R., Litsas, F. & Bryant, F. B. (1987 c). Type A behavior and psychological androgyny of college students in Greece.Manuscript Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association,Chicago.Google Scholar
Zyzanski, S. J., Jenkins, C. D., Ryan, T. J., Flessas, A. & Everist, M. (1976). Psychological correlates of coronary angiographic findings. Archives of Internal Medicine 136, 1234–1237.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed