The A type behaviour pattern, mental health and health locus of control beliefs

Overcoming 'psychosomatic' illness: lay attributions of cure for five possible psychosomatic illnesses

This semi-replicative study was concerned with lay people's beliefs about the importance of 24 different contributors towards overcoming five relatively common illnesses: hypertension, peptic ulcers, asthma, dermatitis and migraine. These illnesses have frequently been regarded as psychosomatic although there is considerable debate as to whether this is so. One hundred subjects completed a 5-page questionnaire indicating how effective 24 factors were to overcoming the five specified illnesses. Factor analysis revealed almost identical clusters for each problem. These were labelled inner control, social consequences, fate, understanding and receiving help. Items clustering on the first and latter two factors were thought of as generally important and those on fate and, to a lesser extent, understanding, less important, although the perceived relevance of the second and third factors differed significantly between problems. Regressional analysis showed that various individual difference factors, age and sex in particular, were related to perceived relevance of the different contributors. The results were discussed in terms of subjects' beliefs concerning the value of self reliance as opposed to professional help, and the importance of understanding lay beliefs about the efficacy of different cures. Comparisons are made with four other studies using basically the same methodology.

Choosing alternative medicine: a comparison of the beliefs of patients visiting a general practitioner and a homoeopath

This study was concerned with the different health and illness beliefs of patients choosing traditional vs alternative medicine. Two groups of patients, one visiting a GP and the other a homoeopath, were not significantly different in terms of sex, age, education, marital status, religion and income. They were asked to complete a questionnaire measuring such things as their perceived susceptibility to disease and illness; their beliefs concerning their own control over their health; measures of their own mental health; preventive measures in staying healthy; and the perceived efficacy of traditional vs alternative treatment. The major differences between the two groups were the fact that the homoeopathic group were much more critical and sceptical about the efficacy of traditional medicine; they believe that their general health could be improved; and that they tended to have higher psychiatric morbidity. By and large, the two groups did not differ on their beliefs about illness susceptibility or preventive measures. The results suggested that people who choose alternative medicine may do so from disenchantment with, and bad experiences of, traditional medical practitioners, rather than believing that traditional medicine is itself ineffective. Limitations of this particular study are also considered.

Job stress and mental well-being: similarities and differences among American, Japanese, and Indian managers

The sources and mediators of occupational stress have been assessed frequently but rarely from a cross-cultural perspective. The present study examined responses to a number of stress, social support, job satisfaction, and personal characteristics measures and their relationships to mental well-being among samples of lower-, middle-, and upper-level managers in the United States, Japan, and India. These data suggested basic similarities between 178 U.S. and 306 Indian managers; the 222 Japanese managers tended to report more negative reactions than the other two groups. Variability among these groups was seen, however, in the relative weights given to the factors of the mental well-being measure and in the association of these factors with the various independent variables. Implications and shortcomings of these results are discussed, along with suggestions for future research priorities.

The social desirability of the type A behaviour pattern

Nearly one hundred subjects completed two Type A behaviour questionnaires twice. First, they were asked to complete them honestly, reporting accurately on their behaviour patterns. Half of the subjects were then asked to fake good, presenting themselves in a positive light, and half to fake bad, presenting themselves in a negative light. There was only a marginal difference on one questionnaire's total score, with fake good subjects having lower Type A (i.e. higher Type B scores) yet nearly every individual question revealed large significant differences. The subjects' own A/B classification did not effect the way in which they faked the questionnaires. The results are discussed in terms of the literature on faking, lay concepts of psychological phenomena and the multidimensionality of the Type A concept.

Coping with serious illness: on integrating constructs to enhance clinical research, assessment and intervention

Empirical research suggests that given relatively similar illness contingencies, patients who cope successfully with serious illness have access to and use effectively social network support, believe events are to some extent within their control, perceive themselves to be effective, and employ an array of flexible coping strategies. Based on a selective literature review, the argument is made that more integrative conceptual frameworks are needed to advance theory and to enhance the applied value of research data. Clinical implications for assessment, intervention, and evaluation are set forth.