Bio-Psychology Biological Aspects of Health and Disease - Research Paper Example

An investigation to see if there is a difference between Type A and Type B personalities and (as ified by Friedman and Roseman’s 1974 questionnaire), and their physiological response to a mildly stressful activity. TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENT PAGE Abstract 2 introduction 3 Aim 5 Hypothesis 5 Method 5 Results 7 Statistical analysis 8 Discussion 10 Conclusion 10 Appendix A 12 References 16 ABSTRACT The health and psychology of a person is often intimately related to each other. Scientific research studies have shown that people have different personalities and the type of personality a person has also has an impact on their overall health and well being. Numerous researchers have found out that those with personality A type run suffer from heart problems and other health problems compared to people with B type personality. In my study I aim to find out the impact of a stressful activity on the pulse rates of people with personality A and B. Statistical analysis of the data supported my research hypothesis that Personality A category had higher pulse rate during stressful activity than those with Personality B thereby supporting the fact that the former group was more prone to heart problems than others. The null hypothesis where no such difference was seen was rejected owing to the high significance of the data. INTRODUCTION Research has established that there is a positive correlation between personality traits, emotional resilience, aggressive thoughts or behavior and heart disorders (Broxmeyer, 2004). Over the past few years numerous studies have been done to understand how exactly one’s behavior or personality impacts one’s cardiac condition. Friedman and Rosenman were the first to detect a possible relation between personality trait and prevalence of heart conditions in an individual. Based on personality humans are broadly classified according to their personality traits i.e. Type A or Type B. Type A individuals are driven by strong emotions of anxiety and impatience. They tend to be more ambitious and energetic as well. People who lack all of the traits of Type A are considered to be Type B i.e. when compared to Type A, Type B individuals are laid back and far more relaxed. Type B individuals approach any given situation in a calmer manner than Type A personality trait holders. Several physiological differences were also noticed between individuals belonging to these two personality types. Type A individuals who are oppressed by time factors and influenced by anxiety and tension had higher serum cholesterol, higher serum triglyceride level and showed more sludging of their erythrocytes when subjected to a fatty meal when compared to Type B adults. Other physiological studies also reveled that Type A individuals also exhibited diminished growth hormone levels and hyperinsulinemic response on glucose ingestion (Friedmann 1977). All of these factors contribute highly towards heart problems. It is believed that Type A individuals are more prone to development heart ailments and problems in life when compared to individuals who have Type B personality trait. Since then there have been numerous studies showing that Type A individuals such as business men or surgeons or those who are chronically exposed to work pressure and are required to meet deadlines run a higher risk of developing heart problems than others who do not (Friedman, 1977). In order to confirm the relation between Type A personality and cardiovascular problems and to see if altering one’s behavior could have any effect at all on the individual’s heart condition, Friedman et al conducted an experiment in which they selected only consecutive post-infarction patients. It was seen that when individuals with type A trait were subjected to psychological counseling and exposed to advice on heart related conditions all aimed towards diminishing their Type A personality behavior, the rate of cardiac infarction was lowered considerably among the counseled individuals thereby establishing the fact that most fatal cardiac problems and recurrent infarctions were related to stress factors, emotional turmoil and excess physical activity (Friedman et al,1982). Similar results establishing the fact that Type A individuals exhibiting personality traits such as worries, tensions and anxiety were prone to onset of heart conditions when compared to Type B individuals was previously obtained in another study. In this cross-sectional Farmington study, Haynes et al (1978), assessed 20 different psychosocial factors and tried to link them to heart conditions. The study showed that CHD(coronary heart diseases ) were more prevalent among women, both working and housewives, who were prone to increased tensions, daily worries, anxieties and emotional lability. The same factors were also responsible for onset and development of CHD among men as well. A cohort study conducted by Chandola et al revealed that stress is a very important factor for metabolic syndrome and that there was an established relationship between psychosocial stressors such as chronic stress at work or at home and onset of heart problems. Lee et al (2010) conducted a follow up study among 244 community residents in Baltimore in the years 1981 followed up again in 2004 and established that personality traits could be used as predictors for heart conditions. AIM The study aimed to explore the relation between personality type, ability to handle stress and heart problems. HYPOTHESIS The research hypothesis is one-tailed and it is hypothesized that individuals belonging to personality Type A will have higher pulse rate while those belonging to Type B will have a lower pulse rate and that there will be a significantly high pulse rate difference between the two while completing the stressful activity. On the contrary the null hypothesis stands that will be no significant difference between the type A and Type B personalities while taking the stressful activity. METHOD Design The study was a correlational study where the pulse rate of the subjects was being related to their personality types or behavior patterns. The independent variable in the study is participation in the dot-to-dot activity and measurement of pulse rate whereas the dependent variable is the pulse rate and the personality type of the subjects. Participants The sample for this case-controlled study consisted of 20 participants. All of the subjects were above 12 years and less than 80 years.50% of the participants was female subjects.6 of the subjects suffered from a heart problem or were treated for a heart problem in the last 2 years. This study took place in 2014 in Ireland. Both the sample and the control subjects were recruited from the same area. Apparatus/materials The materials required for the study include: 1. Friedman and Rosenman personality questionnaire as a diagnostic tool for each participant(appendix) 2. A dot-to-dot picture for each participant (appendix). 3. Stop watch to record pulse 4. Data recording sheet Standardized procedure: Each participant was asked to fill up their personal details such as age, sex, medical history and a copy of Friedman and Rosenman personality questionnaire which consisted of 10 questions. On completion of this, scoring is done and the participants are either fitted to type A or type B. Care is taken to take equal number of Type A and Type B personality individuals for statistical purpose. Each participant is given a number- A1, A2 or B1,B2 according to the group to which he/she belongs. The pulse rate of each participant was measured before the tasks. A briefing was done to allow the participants to understand the main aim behind the study and the methodology to be used. Next, each participant was handed a copy of a dot-to-dot picture and were asked to solve it within 3 minutes. Pulse rate for each participant was recorded while they were solving the dot-to-dot picture within the allotted time period. After, the entire procedure was over, the pulse rate of each participant was recorded again. RESULTS Table 1: Personality Type A Personality Type B Total 752 830 N 9 11 Mean 83.55 75.45 Median 85 75 Mode 85 73 Range 9 5 Standard Deviation 3.39 1.86 Graph: STATISTICAL RESULTS For the statistical analysis of the two unmatched groups I used a parametric test i.e. the t-test for calculation of the p value. Parametric test was adopted over non-parametric tests since my study design involves normal distribution and estimation of key parameters .Moreover parametric tests in case of comparison of two groups yields better and stronger results. The test is a two-tailed test since I have a research hypothesis as well as a null hypothesis for testing. In this study unawareness of the outcome and direction of the dot-to-dot activity on the pulse rate of the different personalities makes it a two-tailed test. The formula used for carrying out the t-test: T= t- test value M= mean of each group N= number of participants in each group S= standard deviation of each group. According to calculations using the data table the following statistical observations were made: “t” test value= 6.39 Degrees of freedom= 17 The one-tailed p value is less than 0.001 which means it is extremely significant leading to rejection of the null hypothesis and acceptation of the research hypothesis. Selection of t test was done since the results yielded by t test and its test significance reflect the existence of the real difference between the data of the samples making it easier to understand and compare the relation between the variables. DISCUSSION Analyzing the data that I gathered from my subjects based on their personalities gave valuable insight upon the hypothesis that I had stated. Selecting a parametric test to test the significance of my results also strengthened my acceptation of the proposed or experimental hypothesis and rejection of the null hypothesis. The statistical analysis gave me a t value of 6.39 while the p value was less than 0.001 which is extremely significant and means that the results support the research hypothesis and reject the null hypothesis. This experiment may also be modified to understand whether removal of a time boundary for completion of the dot-to-dot activity would have any effect on the results or not. This is where we can test whether Personality A population has a more competitive mind than Personality B population and if this competitiveness induces better efficiency or lessens the efficiency. This can be tested by allowing the participants to finish the entire dot-to-dot activity and calculating the finishing time for each. Those with competition of mind would try and achieve minimal time. I believe that the study design that I adopted was apt for yielding the results I was looking for to establish the proposed theory. The main strengths of the design were its simplicity and the organized way in which it is easily followed by the participants. The main limitation of the study was the sample size which is extremely small. The research design maybe improved to yield better results by increasing sample size. CONCLUSION Research findings had established a positive correlation between personality types and heart ailments. People with personality type A tend to have higher risk for heart problems than those with personality type b. In my research study where I selected a small sample size and divided them into their personality types and deduced statistical data from the experiment helped me achieve the same results. The time crunched activity saw those with A type personality register higher pulse rate than others which may be linked to the stress that they feel during such activities. Stress in turn is a major factor for onset of heart problems thereby helping me make a conclusion that those with A type personality have a higher risk for heart related problems. APPENDIX A TABLE 1: Raw data Showing personality scores and pulse rates Personality Type A Personality Type B Participant number Personality score PR1 PR2 PR3 Participant number Personality score PR1 PR2 PR3 A1 28 72 79 75 B1 -23 67 73 67 A2 25 67 84 72 B2 -26 68 75 69 A3 30 66 85 72 B3 -22 71 77 69 A4 26 69 80 73 B4 -28 70 78 68 A5 25 68 79 74 B5 -26 66 73 67 A6 24 69 85 77 B6 -21 69 76 71 A7 28 71 88 73 B7 -28 68 75 70 A8 29 77 87 74 B8 -27 66 74 70 A9 28 72 85 71 B9 -30 70 77 71 B10 -25 71 78 72 B11 -3-27 69 74 72 Questionnaire: a. Never late 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 Casual about appointments, easy going b. very competitive 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 Not competitive c. good listener 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 Anticipates what others are going to say (nods, interrupts) d. Always rushed 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 Never feels rushed (even under pressure) e. Can wait patiently 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 Impatient when waiting f. Goes all out 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 casual g. Takes things at a time. 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 Tries to do many things at one time h. Emphatic in speech (may pound the desk) 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 Slow, deliberate talker i. Wants a good job recognized by others 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 Care about satisfying self no matter what others may think j. Fast eating/talking 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 Slow doing things k. Easy going 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 Hard driving l. Hides feelings 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 Expresses feelings m. Many outside interests 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 Few outside interests REFERENCES Broxmeyer,L.,2004. Heart disease: the greatest `risk factor of them all.Medical hypotheses,62(5), 773-779. Chandola,T. etl al.,2006. Chronic stress at work and the metabolic syndrome: prospective study.BMJ,332(7540),521-525. Availbale at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1388129/ (last accessed 19 July,2014). Friedman,M.1977. Type A behavior pattern:Some of its pathophysiological components.Bulletin of N.Y. Academy Med, 53(7), 593-603. Friedman,M. et al,1982, Feasibility of altering type A behavior pattern after myocardial infarction. Recurrent Coronary Prevention Project Study: methods, baseline results and preliminary findings.Circulation,66(1),83-92. Haynes,S.C. te al,1978, The relationship of psychosocial factors to coronary heart disease in the Framingham study II.prevalence of oronary heart diseases,American Journal of Epidemiology,107(5),384-403. Lee et al, 2010. Personality disorders and traits as predictors of incident cardiovascular disease: findings from the 23-year follow-up of the Baltimore ECA study.Psychosomatics,51(4),289-296 Read More