A Study of Distressed Personality in Relation To Somatic Complaints among Women in India

Abstract Type-D personality, a concept used in the field of medical psychology, is defined as the joint tendency towards negative affectivity (e.g. worry, irritability, gloom) and social inhibiton (e.g. reticence and a lack of self- assurance). Research has shown that CHD patients with a Type-D personality have a worse prognosis following a myocardial infarction (MI) as compared to patients without a Type-D personality. Type-D is associated with a 4-fold increased risk of mortality, recurrent MI, or sudden cardiac death, independently of traditional risk factors, such as disease severity. Present research aims to study the relationship between Type-D personality and somatic complaints among female adolescents and the prevalence rate of Type D personality among 200 women (age 35-45 years) were administered a valid reliable 14-item questionnaire, Type-D Scale (DS14) Denollet (2005). Seven items refer to negative affectivity, and seven items refer to social inhibition. People who score 10 points or more on both dimensions are classified as Type D.Somatic complaints were assessed by using SMU Questionnaire, consisting of 63 somatic complaints. Responses were analyzed using univariate and multivariate techniques.The adolescents had more somatic complaints than those scoring below the median on social inhibition and negative affectivity. And the individual with below median scores on social inhibition and negative affectivity had the lowest level of somatic complaints. The analysis showed that higher scores on Type-D personality had a positive correlation with a number of somatic complaints. The prevalence of Type-D personality is also very high i.e73% in women. This study suggests that there should be a more comprehensive comparative study to assess the prevalence of Type-D personality among male and female adolescent popuation. Moreover the counsellers in schools and colleges should identify Type-D personality and adopt measures to control social inhibition and negative affectivity as these traits have negative effects on the physical health of the adolescents