Role of personality in cardiovascular diseases: An issue that needs to be focused too!
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing literature on personality traits and cardiovascular outcomes without systematic review methodology.
PubMed 30595309 · doi:10.1016/j.ihj.2018.11.003
What was done
The authors conducted a broad narrative review and critical appraisal of literature over the past half-century examining the relationship between personality traits and the risk and progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data, effect estimates, or study counts. It qualitatively notes that Type A behavior (competitiveness, hostility, excessive drive), negative affectivity (anger and hostility), and Type D (distressed) personality (combining negative affectivity and social inhibition) have been linked to coronary artery disease and worse cardiac outcomes. Conversely, traits such as optimism, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and curiosity were identified as potentially cardioprotective. The authors note that findings across the literature are equivocal and subject to ongoing critique.
Why it matters
It provides a conceptual map of how psychological constructs—from classic Type A behavior to modern Type D and positive psychological traits—have been conceptualized and evaluated as risk or protective factors in cardiology.
Limits
The abstract describes a non-systematic narrative review providing no quantitative data, search parameters, inclusion criteria, or risk-of-bias evaluation. As noted in the abstract, the underlying body of evidence contains conflicting and non-equivocal results.
Cited by
- contradicts The psychological concept of the 'type A personality' was originally formulated around individuals prone to heart attacks because they suppressed their emotional expression.