[Study of the personality of patients with spontaneous pneumothorax].
BACKGROUND
Medical psychology has contributed to a greater understanding of many diseases that are predominantly medical and has also helped to improve prognosis. This study explores a surgical entity, namely spontaneous pneumothorax.


OBJECTIVE
The aim was to compare the personality, depression, anxiety and type-A behavior pattern in a group of 34 patients with spontaneous pneumothorax to a group of 33 control patients admitted for a variety of minor surgical procedures.


METHODS
The following objective assessment instruments were used: Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Jenkins Activity Inventory, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. The questionnaires were administered before the intervention of the surgeon and after an informative interview.


RESULTS
The rate of type-A behavior was statistically different in the two groups. No differences were seen for personality, depression or anxiety.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that type-A behavior patterns should be reduced in patients who suffer spontaneous pneumothorax in order to improve outcome.
Martín Martín
M
M
Servicios de Psiquiatría-Psicología, Hospital Mutua de Terrassa, Terrassa. Barcelona, Spain. rramip@teleline.es
Cuesta Serrahima
L
L
Rami Porta
R
R
Soler Insa
P
P
Mateu Navarro
M
M
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000523:psychology*