Developing measures of type A behavior in children and adolescents

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) is linked to health outcomes in adults.
• Validating measures for TABP in children and adolescents is crucial for early intervention and research.
• Existing measures may not capture the nuances of TABP in younger populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of measures for Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) in children and adolescents.
• To validate these measures through two empirical studies.
• To explore the relationship between TABP components and psychological constructs like anxiety and depression in youth.

Main Methods:

• Two studies involving 120 (Study I) and 652 (Study II) children across fifth, seventh, and ninth grades.
• Administration of five TABP measures: Student Type A Behavior Scale (STABS), Student Structured Interviews (SSI) content and behavior, Matthews Youth Test for Health (MYTH), and Parent Observation Checklist.
• Inclusion of state anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression measures to assess discriminant validity.

Main Results:

• Boys scored higher on MYTH; seventh and ninth grade girls scored higher on SSI-Behavior.
• Correlations indicated separate perceptual (self-report) and behavioral components of TABP.
• STABS and SSI-Content showed moderate correlation, but limited relation to SSI-Behavior and MYTH.
• Anxiety and depression measures correlated with self-report TABP but not behavioral measures, especially in Study II.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) in children comprises distinct self-reported and behavioral dimensions.
• The validation studies provide evidence for the utility of multiple measures in assessing TABP in youth.
• Parallels with adult TABP research highlight the importance of nuanced assessment for understanding childhood Type A behavior.