title: Does type-D personality predict outcomes among patients with cardiovascular disease? A meta-analytic review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Research generally indicates that psychological variables are stronger predictors of cardiovascular outcomes in healthy populations than in those with preexisting illness. Studies of Type-D personality, however, suggest that it may also be predictive of negative health outcomes in cardiovascular patient populations. To date, no independent, comprehensive meta-analysis centered specifically on Type-D has integrated this literature and provided quantitative estimates of these relationships. The present meta-analysis investigated the associations between Type-D personality and (a) major adverse cardiac events (MACE), (b) health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and (c) biochemical markers of cardiovascular disease among cardiovascular patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two independent reviewers abstracted data from 15 separate studies. A random effects meta-analytic model was utilized to calculate omnibus effect sizes for each set of related studies, i.e., for the MACE (N of patients=2903), HRQOL (N of patients=1263) and biochemical marker (N of patients=305) measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A positive association was found between Type-D personality and MACE, whereas a negative association was observed between Type-D personality and HRQOL. There was a trend toward significance in the association between Type-D personality and cardiovascular disease biomarkers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Type-D personality is a promising construct for understanding psychological relationships with important outcomes among cardiovascular patients. Subsequent investigations undertaken by a more diverse group of unaffiliated scientists are important for further development in this line of research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Kelsey R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: O'Dell
authors.forename: Kevin S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Masters
authors.forename: Glen I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Spielmans
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Maisto
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression; D006801:Humans; D010551:Personality; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors