title: Type-D personality mechanisms of effect: the role of health-related behavior and social support.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To (a) investigate the prevalence of type-D personality (the conjoint effects of negative affectivity and social inhibition) in a healthy British and Irish population; (b) to test the influence of type-D on health-related behavior, and (c) to determine if these relationships are explained by neuroticism.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional design was employed; 1012 healthy young adults (225 males, 787 females, mean age 20.5 years) from the United Kingdom and Ireland completed measures of type-D personality, health behaviors, social support, and neuroticism.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of type-D was found to be 38.5%, significantly higher than that reported in other European countries. In addition, type-D individuals reported performing significantly fewer health-related behaviors and lower levels of social support than non-type-D individuals. These relationships remained significant after controlling for neuroticism.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide new evidence on type-D and suggest a role for health-related behavior in explaining the link between type-D and poor clinical prognosis in cardiac patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom. lw18@stir.ac.uk <lw18@stir.ac.uk>
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Rory C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Siobhan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: Brian M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Derek W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Julia L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.forename: Daryl B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Eamonn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.forename: Noel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sheehy
authors.forename: Madeleine A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Grealy
authors.forename: Ronan E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: O'Carroll
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010553:Personality Development; D012307:Risk Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D012944:Social Support; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D006113:United Kingdom