Impact of Stress and Type-A Personality in the Development of Breast Cancer

Abstract

The present study explores whether type A personalities are more prone to stress and breast cancer than Non–type A personalities. Non type A personalities were those who had received lower score on Type A behavior questionnaire and were not diagnosed with breast cancer. The sample comprised 140 (70 diagnosed breast cancer and 70 not diagnosed breast cancer). Breast cancer patients’ data was collected from the Nuclear Oncology and Radiology Institute (NORIN) Nawabshah, while data of participants not diagnosed with breast cancer was collected from friends, family members and acquaintances. Type A behavior questionnaire (Jeremy Stranks 2003) translated in Urdu was used for assessment of stress level and type A personality traits. Analysis revealed that breast cancer patients scored significantly higher on Type A personality questionnaire as compared to non-diagnosed participants. Findings of the present study reveal the high impact of stress on type A personality in the development of breast cancer.