Self-attitudes and behavioral characteristics of Type A and B female registered nurses.
Type A behavior in nurses has received little attention from researchers despite its assumed prevalence. What attitudes and behaviors distinguish Type A from Type B nurses? In this descriptive study, locus of control and selected self-attitudes of female RNs who exhibited the Type A pattern (n = 40) were compared with attitudes of Type B nurses (n = 40). The participants were selected from a larger sample of 178 RNs on the basis of extremely high and extremely low Type A scale scores. Type A nurses were more likely to term themselves "perfectionistic" or "compulsive" and to construe time as an enemy, in contrast to Type B nurses, who often referred to themselves as "easy-going." Self-aggrandizement characterized 73% of Type A nurses, as opposed to only 23% of Type Bs. As expected, Type A and B nurses differed significantly in terms of job involvement, speed/impatience, and hard-driving behaviors. Although it is widely recognized that the daily work of nurses subjects them to considerable physical and psychosocial stress, findings of this study suggest that a segment of RNs (Type As) may be at particular risk for coronary heart disease, burnout, and other health problems due to a constellation of attitudes and behaviors that they bring with them to the stressful work environment. Future research investigating the relationship of Type A/B characteristics and nursing turnover or burnout is recommended.
Thomas
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Jozwiak
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D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000209:etiology; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D014434:Type A Personality