Type D personality is related to cardiovascular and neuroendocrine reactivity to acute stress

ME Habra, W Linden, JC Anderson…�- Journal of psychosomatic�…, 2003 - Elsevier
ME Habra, W Linden, JC Anderson, J Weinberg
Journal of psychosomatic research, 2003Elsevier
Objective: The relationship between Type D personality (the joint tendency towards negative
affectivity [NA] and social inhibition [SI]) and laboratory indices of cardiovascular health was
examined. Method: 173 undergraduates (86 male) completed a stress protocol involving a
mental arithmetic task with harassment. Blood pressure, heart rate (HR), and salivary cortisol
were measured both prior to and during the task. Results: The relationships between
personality and both resting and reactivity levels were examined. Results indicated that�…
Objective
The relationship between Type D personality (the joint tendency towards negative affectivity [NA] and social inhibition [SI]) and laboratory indices of cardiovascular health was examined.
Method
173 undergraduates (86 male) completed a stress protocol involving a mental arithmetic task with harassment. Blood pressure, heart rate (HR), and salivary cortisol were measured both prior to and during the task.
Results
The relationships between personality and both resting and reactivity levels were examined. Results indicated that socially inhibited men demonstrated heightened blood pressure reactivity. NA was related to dampened HR change during the stress task in men. Correlational analyses indicated that both Type D dimensions were associated with greater cortisol reactivity to stress; however, results no longer remained significant in more stringent regression analyses.
Conclusion
Findings are consistent with the noted relationship between Type D and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and suggest a possible pathway to disease via an association with physiological hyperreactivity.
Elsevier
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