Behavioral risk factors and coronary heart disease.

After a historical review, three clusters of social psychological variables are discussed: (1) socioeconomic factors and social disorganization; (2) sustained, intensely disturbing emotions, and (3) behavioral risk factors characterized by the hard-driving, type A coronary-prone behavior pattern. Empirical evidence from the bulk of research on various aspects of these risk factors suggests that the three clusters have a significant bearing on the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease. Reduction of behavioral risk factors should concentrate on three interventions: (1) reducing the type A pattern; (2) treating emotional drain and exhaustion, and (3) treating sustained episodes of interpersonal conflict.