Social aspects of coronary heart disease in a Pennsylvania German community

Abstract

The Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern is a hard-driving style of life which is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. For the 40–59-yr old women in this study, the Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern was associated with high occupational status. In contrast, the Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern was not related to the occupational status of the woman's husband or whether she was currently married. Thus the Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern may be related to success in the traditional male occupational role, but not to a woman's success in the marital role.The Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern was more common among women employed full-time than among housewives and women employed part-time. Women with the Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern did not prefer longer hours of employment; rather, these women were more likely to work longer hours than they preferred.Few of the women who were taking anti-hypertensive medication were employed full-time. Among women who were not under treatment for hypertension, full-time employment was associated with higher blood pressures. These findings suggest that full-time employment may contribute to increased blood pressures, and yet overt hypertension may be less common among employed women since women who become ill tend to leave their jobs.