Spanish validation of the Type D Personality Scale (DS14)

Type D personality, composed of two dimensions, Negative Affectivity (NA) and Social Inhibition (SI), has been identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and its association with other diseases has been investigated in recent years. The main objectives of this study were assessing the psychometric properties of the type D personality scale (DS14) in Spanish population and evaluating Type D personality presence taking into account sociodemographic as well as clinical variables. A total of 1257 subjects (41.1% men and 58.9% women) participated in this study. Ages ranged between 18 and 80 years. The Spanish version of the DS14 and a sociodemographic questionnaire were administered. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for DS14 subscales were .84 (NA) and .81 (SI). The original scale factor structure was replicated. The presence of type D personality was 29.7% in the total sample and 56.5% in patients presenting both hypertension and heart disease. The Spanish version of the DS14 shows high internal consistency and adequate evidence of internal and external validity to assess type D personality.