Blood pressure variability and the type A behavior pattern in adolescence.

The present investigation assessed the relationship between Type A behavior and blood pressure variability in a sample of 211 adolescents. Consistent with the adult literature, analyses revealed an association between Type A behavior and both systolic blood pressure variability and peak systolic pressure. The measures of diastolic blood pressure, however, were unrelated to Pattern A. The association with systolic variability remained when controlling for initial blood pressure level, sex, weight, and age. Subsidiary analyses of the components of Pattern A showed that high systolic variability teenagers are characterized by Type A speech characteristics (quick response latencies) and high levels of hostility. These findings support the validity of the Type A construct in adolescence.