Type D personality, quality of life and physical symptoms in the general population: a dimensional analysis.
OBJECTIVE
Type D personality, the interaction of negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI), has been associated with a range of adverse health-related outcomes in cardiac patients and healthy participants. However, recent studies which have adopted a dimensional approach to Type D found no effect of Type D (NA × SI) on mortality or quality of life, after controlling for its constituent elements. To date, no study has determined if Type D is associated with negative health outcomes in healthy individuals when conceptualised as a dimensional variable.


METHODS
A cross-sectional self-report study with 177 healthy participants.


METHODS
Physical symptoms and quality of life.


RESULTS
Using the traditional categorical analysis for Type D, it was found that Type D's report significantly more symptoms and significantly lower quality of life than non-Type D's report. However, when analysed as a dimensional construct (NA × SI), using multiple regression analysis, Type D (NA × SI) was not a significant predictor of physical symptoms or quality of life, after controlling for the main effects of NA and SI separately.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings support those of recent studies that have identified null effects of Type D on outcome when analysed as a dimensional construct.
a School of Social Sciences, University of the West of Scotland , Paisley , UK.
Christie
C
Stevenson
Lynn
L
Williams
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D064415:Type D Personality; D055815:Young Adult