Physical Symptom Reporting in Type A and Type B Children

The study examines the developmental origins of one coronary-prone component of the Type A pattern, the tendency to suppress attention to physical symptoms. The symptom-reporting behavior of 85 male and female children from 5 to 14 years of age was studied in both a laboratory and a clinical context along with associated illness behaviors. The results indicate that Type A children underreport a wide variety of symptoms and that this phenomenon is independent of sex and age. On some types of symptoms, Type A underreporting may increase with age. In addition, there is evidence that Type A children (boys in particular) miss less school following surgery. Interestingly, Type A children tend to be underrepresented in elective surgery populations. The apparent continuities in symptom reporting and illness behaviors among Type A children and coronary adults is discussed.