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The main purpose of this research was to study the reliability and conceptual validity of two Spanish language measures of Vital Exhaustion (VE), a short-term risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). The English version of the Maastricht Questionnaire for Vital Exhaustion was used to make a Spanish language questionnaire (VEQ) and a Spanish language interview (VEI) whose scoring systems were equal to the original version. These instruments were administered to a sample of healthy working men (n = 100) and women (n = 130) in Caracas, Venezuela. Participants also completed questionnaires designed to measure anger-expression and social support and were assessed by means of the Structured Interview to measure Type A Behaviour Pattern (TABP). Information about other CAD-risk factors, such as age, smoking behavior, and health habits, were collected. High reliability coefficients, .85 and .91, were found for the VEI and VEQ, respectively. Principal component analysis provided one-factor solutions ...

In a study on the influence of different natural environments on self-perception and that of significant others, behavioral manifestations of Type A, Anger, and Social Support were assessed. It was hypothesized that due to different environmental demands, participants will be perceived as displaying differences in Type A behavior, anger, and social support at home and at work. Participants were 45 university employees, constituting a convenience sample. Assessment included Type A Structured Interview scores of participants and questionnaire scores for Type A, anger, and social support of participants who were also evaluated by their spouses and work supervisors. Other risk factors for coronary heart disease (i.e., blood pressure, smoking, previous heart condition, being sedentary, and family history) and their relationships with Type A, anger, and social support were also examined. Participants and spouses agreed significantly on all measures, whereas participants and work supervisors agreed only...

Prodromal symptoms of vital exhaustion and sleep complaints are increasingly being recognized as important risk indicators for myocardial infarction (MI). In this study, the relationships between vital exhaustion, behavioral characteristics, and MI, and between several sleep complaints and MI were investigated. The subjects were 133 male cases with first MI, 192 male hospital controls, and 133 male neighborhood controls. The instruments used were the Maastricht Questionnaire (vital exhaustion), the Life Styles Questionnaire (sleep complaints, coffee consumption, and current smoking), and the Structured Interview (Type A behavior). All sleep complaints, vital exhaustion, Type A behavior, excessive coffee consumption, and current smoking occurred significantly more often in MI-cases. After controlling for these potential confounders, and age, most sleep complaints retained significant associations with MI, in particular often taking naps during the day and waking up in the morning feeling tired and...