The Prevalence of Type D Personality in a Trinidadian Cardiac Population

OBJECTIVE: The current study investigated the prevalence of Type D personality in persons with self-reported cardiovascular disease and the interactions of Type D personality, reported cardiovascular disease and gender in a Trinidadian cardiac population. METHODS: Between June 2009 and August 2009, 425 participants were recruited from the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) Heart Clinic and all the participants completed the Type D Scale. Clinical and demographic variables were obtained from the sociodemographic questionnaire. RESULTS: Forty-two per cent of participants with self-reported cardiovascular disease were identified as Type D as compared to 26% of participants who did not report having a cardiovascular illness. The odds ratio indicated individuals identified with Type D personality are 2.0 times more likely to report having cardiovascular disease and females with cardiac disease are 1.6 times more likely to be identified with Type D personality as compared to males. CONCLUSIONS: Previous studies suggest Type D personality is a risk factor for adverse prognosis in the cardiac population, therefore future research examining the link between Type D personality and cardiovascular disease is warranted.