Heritability of type-D personality.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Genetics
• Personality Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Type-D personality is an independent predictor of adverse outcomes in cardiovascular disease patients.
• Previous research has not established the heritability of Type-D personality.
• Understanding the etiology of Type-D personality is crucial for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the influence of genetic and environmental factors on individual differences in Type-D personality.
• To determine the heritability of Type-D personality and its subcomponents: negative affectivity and social inhibition.

Main Methods:

• The study utilized survey data from 3331 healthy, young adult twins from the Netherlands Twin Register.
• Type-D personality was assessed using the "combination of scales" method.
• Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to estimate the contributions of additive genetic, nonadditive genetic, and nonshared environmental factors.

Main Results:

• Type-D personality demonstrated substantial heritability (52%).
• The subcomponents, negative affectivity (46%) and social inhibition (50%), were also found to be significantly heritable.
• Negative affectivity was influenced by additive genetic effects and nonshared environment, while social inhibition was primarily shaped by nonadditive genetic effects and nonshared environment.

Conclusions:

• This study provides robust evidence for the significant role of genetic factors in shaping individual differences in Type-D personality.
• Both negative affectivity and social inhibition are substantially influenced by heritability.
• Environmental factors also play a crucial role in the development of Type-D personality traits.