Spanish validation of the Type D personality scale (DS14)

Type D personality, which encompasses two dimensions, Negative Affectivity (NA) and Social Inhibition (SI), has been identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and its link to other conditions has become a focus of research in recent years. The main study objectives were to assess the psychometric properties behind the Type D Personality Scale (DS14) in the Spanish population and to evaluate 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 from 18 to 80 years. The Spanish version of the DS14 and a sociodemographic questionnaire were administered. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the DS14 subscales were .84 (NA) and .81 (SI). The original scale’s factor structure was replicated. Type D personality presence 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 when assessing type D personality.