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European Journal of Heart Failure 2008 10(9):922-930; doi:10.1016/j.ejheart.2008.07.010
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© 2008 European Society of Cardiology

Type D personality and depressive symptoms are independent predictors of impaired health status in chronic heart failure

Angélique A. Schiffera,b,c,*, Susanne S. Pedersena, Jos W. Widdershovenc and Johan Denolleta

a CoRPS — Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic diseases, Tilburg University Tilburg, The Netherlands
b Department of Medical Psychology, TweeSteden Hospital Tilburg, The Netherlands
c Department of Cardiology TweeSteden Hospital Tilburg, The Netherlands

* Corresponding author. CoRPS, Department of Medical Psychology, Tilburg University, PO Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31 13 4662496, fax: +31 13 4662370. E-mail address: Angelique.schiffer{at}uvt.nl (A.A. Schiffer).


  Abstract

Objective: To examine whether Type D personality exerts a stable, independent effect on health status in CHF over time, adjusted for depressive symptoms.

Subjects: CHF outpatients (n=166; 75% men; mean age 66 years) completed the Type D Scale and Beck Depression Inventory (baseline) and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire and Short-Form Health Survey (baseline and 12 months).

Results: There was a general improvement in disease-specific physical (p=.029) and mental (p<.001) health over time, but Type D patients scored significantly lower on both outcomes (p≤.001). The interaction effects Type Dxtime were not significant, indicating stability of the personality effect. Type D patients also scored significantly lower on all generic physical (p values between .001 and .04) and mental (all p values ≤.01) health status subdomains; these effects were also stable over time. Type D was an independent predictor of disease-specific mental health (p<.001), social functioning (p=.04), role emotional functioning (p≤.001), bodily pain (p=.05), and general health (p=.04), adjusted for depressive symptoms, baseline health status and clinical characteristics. Depressive symptoms was an independent predictor of role physical functioning and bodily pain.

Conclusions: Type D personality and depressive symptoms were independent predictors of impaired health status in CHF.

Key Words: Health status • Type D personality • Depression • Chronic heart failure

Received December 18, 2007; Revised May 28, 2008; Accepted June 23, 2008


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