title: Type D personality and hemodynamic reactivity to laboratory stress in women.
abstract: The Type D personality (identified by high levels of both negative affectivity and social inhibition) has been associated with negative health consequences in cardiac patients. However, few studies have explored whether the Type D personality is associated with particular patterns of cardiovascular responses to stress. In the present study, cardiovascular reactivity to psychological stress (CVR) was examined as a possible mediating mechanism by which Type D personality may affect cardiovascular health, with specific focus on hemodynamic profile. Eighty-nine female university students completed a mental arithmetic stressor while undergoing hemodynamic monitoring. Blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance in response to the stressor were examined. Type D personality was assessed using the 16-item Type D scale. Results indicated that there were no between-group differences in magnitude of blood pressure increase, with both Type D and non-Type D individuals demonstrating myocardial response profiles. However, Type D individuals were less "myocardial" than non-Type D individuals. This indicates that a weak myocardial response to an active stressor in Type D individuals may be indicative of hemodynamic maladaptation to stress, implicating CVR as a possible mechanism involved in Type D-cardiovascular health associations.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research on Occupational and Life Stress (CROLS), National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland. siobhan.howard@nuigalway.ie
authors.forename: Siobhán
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: Brian M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Jack E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011594:Psychometrics; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult