COPING, PERSONALITY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CENTRAL PATTERN OF BODY-FAT FROM YOUTH INTO YOUNG ADULTHOOD - THE AMSTERDAM GROWTH AND HEALTH STUDY

OBJECTIVE: It has been suggested that coping behaviour, in particular a defeat reaction to stress, is a determinant of the central pattern o f body fat. To verify this hypothesis, this study investigated if copi ng behaviour, and associated personality traits, are associated with a central pattern of body fat or total body fatness in a healthy popula tion of males (n = 83) and females (n = 98) early in life. METHODS: pr oblem-focused, emotion-focused and type A behaviour were measured at t he mean ages of 21 y and 27 y. Personality traits (inadequacy, social inadequacy, dominance, rigidity and debilitating anxiety), a central p attern of body fat (subscapular/triceps, (S/T) ratio) and total body f atness (sum of four skinfolds (SSF): biceps, triceps, subscapular, sup railiac) were measured six times between the ages of 13-27 y. RESULTS: In both genders, no association was found between either coping strat egy and a central pattern of body fat or total body fatness. In males, type A behaviour was significantly negatively correlated with the S/T ratio (r = -0.27, P = 0.01) after adjustment for total body fatness, at the mean age of 27 y. In a longitudinal analysis, adjusted for tota l body fatness, dominance and rigidity were negatively associated with the S/T ratio (beta = -0.09, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) (-0.17; -0.00) and beta = -0.11, 95% CI (-.19; -0.02), respectively) between the ages of 13-21 y in males. These associations of type A behaviour, dominance and rigidity, with a central pattern of body fat, were weake r and did not reach statistical significance with total body fatness. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study justify further research on the association between coping behaviour, personality and the development of a central pattern of body fat.