Association of type A behavior and its components to ways of coping with stress.

This preliminary study provides evidence suggesting that Type A behavior and its components influence how people cope with personally relevant stressful situations, and that the relationship between Type A scores and coping is different when examined separately among males and females. Among males, Type A behaviors were positively correlated to the use of problem-focused coping, and inversely related to seeking social support. Among females, Type A behaviors were positively correlated with problem-focused coping, cognitive restructuring coping, and self-denigration coping. Results were integrated into Glass' model of the role of individual differences in need for personal control in the coping process, and discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the biopsychosocial mechanisms through which some Type A behaviors might increase an individual's risk of coronary heart disease.