title: Reduction in type A behavior in healthy middle-aged American military officers.
abstract: One hundred eighteen senior officer-students of the U.S. Army War College who were healthy but exhibited type A behavior volunteered to be randomly selected and enrolled into (1) a section of 62 officers who received group type A behavior counseling for 9 months and (2) a control section of 56 officers who received no counseling of any kind. Marked or profound reduction in type A behavior at the end of 9 months was observed in 41.9% of the 62 participants who initially were enrolled to receive type A counseling; marked or profound reduction in type A behavior, however, was observed in only 8.9% of the 56 initially enrolled control subjects. No adverse effects on the military leadership qualities of type A counseled participants were observed by their classmates. Serum total cholesterol and plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol measurements were obtained monthly. The serum cholesterol of the total cohort of subjects rose significantly during a month of considerable emotional tension and stress. Those subjects who underwent a profound reduction in the intensity of their type A behavior pattern also exhibited a significantly lower serum cholesterol value as the study continued than those subjects who exhibited no change in their type A behavior. No significant changes in plasma HDL cholesterol concentrations were observed in the total cohort during the above-mentioned period of stress, nor were any differences in this particular measurement noted between the type A counseled and the control participants.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D008887:Military Medicine; D011897:Random Allocation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013998:Time Perception / Q000502:physiology; D014434:Type A Personality; D014481:United States; D014743:Videotape Recording
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D002784:Cholesterol