Type A Behavior in Children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Matthews Youth Test for Health (MYTH) as a measure of components of Type A behavior in school-age children. The sample consisted of 216 middle-class, white, 6 to 11 year old, same-sex twin children. Pairs were randomly split into two subgroups for cross-validation. The MYTH was completed by 88% of the children's teachers. The Perceived Competence Scale was completed by 118 of the 124 children 8 to 11 years old; a parallel form of this instrument was completed by teachers of 108 of these children. The 17 items of the MYTH instrument were factor analyzed. Two factors, Impatience-Aggression and Competitive Achievement-Striving, were derived and cross-validated. These MYTH factors were internally consistent and replicated previous studies of school-age children. The construct validity of the MYTH subscales was partially supported by evidence of relationships between these components of Type A behavior and teacher-ratings of the child's competence in specific domains. Children's ratings of their competence and perceptions of global self-worth were not related to total MYTH scores or subscale scores.