مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - Type D personality in patients with tension-type headache: relationships with clinical features and quality of life

Abstract :

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between Type D personality and clinical features and quality of life in patients with tension-type headache (TTH). Material and Methods: Eighty-three patients with TTH were enrolled in this study. Headache characteristics of the patients were recorded and the severity of headache was evaluated by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Type D personality was assessed using Type D Scale and quality of life was assessed using 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Results: We found that physical and mental subscales of SF-36 scores were significantly lower in TTH patients with type D personality than those without type D personality. The scores of total Type D Scale were found to be positively correlated with headache frequency and negatively correlated with the scores of physical and mental subscales of SF-36). In multivariate linear regression analysis total score of the type D scale was found to be independently associated with the physical and mental subscale of the SF-36 and headache frequency. Conclusion: Type D personality traits may lead to an increase in headache frequency and decrease in quality of life in patients with TTH. Therefore, early recognition of type D personality and providing psychological support may contribute to better quality of life in patients with TTH.