Neuroticism and Type A behavior pattern in healthy Italian blue-collar workers

BACKGROUND: Even if type A behavior pattern is not a typical pattern of specific social class, in Italy no research study has been conducted on blue-collar workers. In the present study we sought to identify differences in the psychological profiles of type A and non-type A Italian blue-collar subjects. METHODS: Seventy-three healthy male blue-collar workers, aged 35-59 years, completed the CBA-2.0 Primary Scales (a battery of standardized questionnaires) and the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS). Following the Structured Interview each subject was classified as type A1, A2, X, or B. In the present study, type X and B subjects were considered within the group referred to as type 'non-A'. RESULTS: The analysis of variance showed that the A1 subjects had higher neuroticism scores than the A2 and non-A subjects but revealed no differences in extraversion, anxiety, depression, obsession-compulsion scores. In the JAS only the 'speed and impatience' scale differentiated the three groups: the highest scores being obtained by the A1 subjects. Among the JAS scales, only correlations (Pearson) between speed and impatience, trait anxiety and neuroticism were found. CONCLUSION: In our Italian blue-collar sample, type A1 seems to define a subject with high neuroticism score. Finally, our results do not recommend the use of the JAS in Italy for measuring the type A behavior pattern.