Measurement of the Type A behavior pattern in adolescents and young adults: cross-cultural development of AATAB

This paper reports psychometric development of a new scale, the AATAB, a 19-item questionnaire which attempts to measure the Type A behavior pattern in the adolescent and in the young adult. Initial studies were accomplished with Polish secondary-school students. Test-retest and internal consistency reliability estimates were very adequate, as was concurrent validity. Construct validity information is scant but in the desired direction. Factor analytical studies reveal only a single-factor structure on these adolescent subjects. The AATAB was given to university students of both sexes in Poland, Italy, and the United States. Students from all three countries scored at about the same level and concurrent validity was acceptable. Factor analysis of these data revealed meaningful factors for both sexes across all three cultures. While similar factors were found, the order of them was different by sex and by culture. These results are discussed and further reliability and validity research with the AATAB is outlined.