Type D personality and illness perceptions in myocardial infarction patients

Objectives: To determine the relationship between Type D personality (the tendency to experience negative emotions and to be socially inhibited) and illness beliefs in postmyocardial infarction (MI) patients. Methods: One hundred and ninety-two MI patients participated. Patients were assessed on demographic variables and completed the Type D Scale (DS14) and Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire one week post-MI. Results: Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that Type D patients were significantly different from non-Type D patients on every illness perception dimension. Type D patients believe that their illness has significantly more serious consequences (Pb.001), will last significantly longer (Pb.001), will be significantly less controllable by them (Pb.05) or through treatment (Pb.001) compared to nonType D patients, and experience significantly more symptoms that they attribute to their illness (Pb.001). In addition, they are significantly more concerned about their illness (Pb.05), experience significantly more emotions as a result (Pb.001), and find their illness to be significantly less comprehensible compared to non-Type D individuals (Pb.001). Conclusion: Type D individuals possess a distinct profile of illness beliefs, which may help explain the adverse effect of Type D on health outcomes following MI. Future research should evaluate intervention strategies to tackle illness perceptions in these high-risk patients