Type A Behavior, Its Prevalence and Consequences Among Women Nurses: An Empirical Examination

Abstract

The present study examined the prevalence and consequences of Type A behavior among nurses working in eight hospitals in a large metropolitan Canadian city. Data were collected by means of structured questionnaires from 1148 nurses. The prevalence of Type A behavior in a number of subgroups based on sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, mother tongue, marital status, education, hours of work, seniority, and the number of previous nursing jobs in the last five years were examined. Age was the only sociodemographic variable significantly associated with Type A behavior. In terms of consequences, Type A nurses experienced significantly greater job, stress, role ambiguity, conflict, overload, and turnover cognition than Type B nurses. Type A nurses showed significantly higher job involvement, effort at job and attendance than Type B nurses. Type A and B nurses did not differ significantly on organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and promotion expectations. The moderating effects of age, marital status, and mother tongue, on the above relationships were analyzed. Implications of these findings for management and for future research are highlighted.