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Female physicians outscore male physicians and the general public on Type A scales in Denmark
1Psychiatric Hospital, Risskov, Denmark.
Insights
Men in the general public exhibit higher coronary-prone behaviors. However, female physicians show elevated scores in behaviors linked to career ambition and time urgency, suggesting unique psychosocial influences.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Coronary-prone behaviors are linked to cardiovascular disease risk.
- Previous research indicates gender differences in these behaviors.
- The role of profession and gender requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare coronary-prone behaviors in Danish physicians and the general public.
- To examine gender differences within these groups.
- To identify potential psychosocial factors influencing these behaviors.
Main Methods:
- The Jenkins Activity Survey was administered to large, random samples.
- Participants included Danish male and female physicians and general public members.
- Four components of coronary-prone behaviors were assessed.
Main Results:
- General public men scored higher in coronary-prone behaviors than women.
- Female physicians scored higher than male physicians on ambition, job involvement, and time urgency.
- These findings suggest profession-specific behavioral patterns.
Conclusions:
- Gender differences in coronary-prone behaviors vary by profession.
- Female physicians may face unique psychosocial pressures contributing to these behaviors.
- Further research into psychosocial factors affecting female physicians is warranted.
Abstract:
The Jenkins Activity Survey was used to measure four components of coronary-prone behaviors in large random samples of Danish male and female physicians and of men and women in the general public. As expected, men in the general public tended to score higher than women in terms of coronary-prone behavior. In contrast, female physicians scored higher than male physicians on several components of coronary-prone behavior related to career goals, ambitiousness, job involvement, and time urgency. The findings suggest that female physicians in Denmark may be influenced by psychosocial factors that make them particularly prone to develop and/or express coronary-prone behaviors.