Identifying coronary-prone behavior in adolescents using the Bortner Self-Rating Scale

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cardiovascular Epidemiology
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Longitudinal studies of cardiovascular diseases require brief measures for identifying coronary-prone (Type-A) behavior in young individuals.
• The Bortner Self-rating Scale (ABS) is a parent version used for assessing Type-A behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the suitability of a modified 14-item ABS for assessing Type-A behavior in an adolescent population.
• To determine if the measurement properties of the adolescent ABS align with the parent version.

Main Methods:

• A modified 14-item Bortner Self-rating Scale (ABS) was administered to 549 racially mixed, low to middle income urban high school students.
• Construct validity was assessed by correlating ABS scores with measures of anger expression, social support, life satisfaction, academic achievement, and blood pressure.

Main Results:

• The distribution and factor structure of the adolescent ABS closely resembled findings from adult populations.
• ABS scores showed significant associations with overt anger expression, lack of social support, and general dissatisfaction with school and life.
• No significant correlations were found between adolescent ABS scores and academic achievement or blood pressure.

Conclusions:

• The modified 14-item ABS demonstrates suitability for identifying coronary-prone behavior in adolescents.
• The scale's validity in adolescents is supported by its association with psychological factors, though not physiological markers like blood pressure in this study.
• Further research may explore potential race and sex differences in ABS responses among adolescents.