Alexithymia and Type “A” Behavior Pattern (TABP) in Coronary Heart Diseases: A preliminary study.

ABSTRACT

Background: The number of patients with CHD is increasing and psychosocial factors are now recognized as playing a significant and independent role in the development of CHD and its complications. Aims: The present study aimed at examining the association between alexithymia and Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) in Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) patients. Methodology: The sample consisted of 150 participants, comprising 50 in the study group (drawn from the outpatient clinical services) and 50 in the control group (from the general population) from Kashmir. Further 50 controls from the general population of Haryana were included to study alexithymia in broader context. The tools used included Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS-C) and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS-12.0 and various descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. Results: The results revealed a high prevalence (40%) of alexithymia in our study group. However the association of alexithymia with CHD was not clearly indicated as the comparison of alexithymia between our study group and control group did not reveal any significant difference and paradoxically the prevalence in the control group was even higher. Further a comparison of the control group from Kashmir with that of Haryana revealed a highly significant difference. Thus, our study suggests that perpetual trauma and unending stress due to present prevailing condition in Kashmir together with the presence of some kind of mental disorders in a significant segment of Kashmiri population has rendered the whole population more vulnerable to developing alexithymia. Further, our findings did not reveal any association between Type A Behavior Pattern and CHD. Conclusion: This indicates a need for further clarification of the precise role of personality types in producing and preventing CHD.