title: Prevalence and relevance of Type D personality in fibromyalgia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Distressed (Type D) personality, combining high negative affectivity and social inhibition, is linked to poor health in various populations. Because patients with fibromyalgia experience high negative affect and show signs of social inhibition, this study aimed to examine the prevalence of Type D's components and their associations with health in an additive (worse health with both components present) or synergistic way (components amplifying each other's effects).
  
  
  METHODS
  Type D personality and physical and mental health were assessed online by 558 patients with self-reported fibromyalgia (94% women, age 47 ± 11 (21-77)years) by the Type D Scale-14 and RAND-36 Health Status Inventory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using the standard cutscores, Type D personality was present in 56.5% of patients. Negative affectivity alone and combined with social inhibition was associated with worse mental and, more limited, physical health, but no interactive (synergistic) associations were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Type D personality in fibromyalgia exceeds prevalence estimates in general, cardiovascular and chronic pain populations. Some indication of an additive but not of a synergistic effect was found, particularly for mental health, with clearly the largest associations for negative affectivity. The high prevalence of Type D's components may have specific treatment implications.
authors.affiliation: Health, Medical, and Neuropsychology Unit, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Electronic address: h.vanmiddendorp@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.
authors.forename: Henriët
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van Middendorp
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.b.kool@uu.nl.
authors.forename: Marianne B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Kool
authors.affiliation: Health, Medical, and Neuropsychology Unit, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands. Electronic address: s.van.beugen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van Beugen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, The Netherlands. Electronic address: J.Denollet@uvt.nl.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Denollet
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA. Electronic address: mlumley@wayne.edu.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lumley
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands; Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: r.geenen@uu.nl.
authors.forename: Rinie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Geenen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010552:Personality Assessment; D015995:Prevalence; D012919:Social Behavior; D064415:Type D Personality; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Chronic pain; Fibromyalgia; Negative affectivity; Personality; Type D