The Validity and Reliability of Type D Personality Scale in Turkish Population

Abstract

Objectives: Type D personality is a risk factor affecting health.The aim of the study to determine the validity and reliability of the D Type Personality Scale (D14) in healthy Turkish population which validated and reliable in hemodialysis patients, Materials and Methods: D14 Scale, Depression Inventory, Trait Anxiety Inventory and Hostility Scale were administered to 350 subjects who were considered to be healthy between 18.01.2018 and 10.04.2018. After four weeks, the D14 Scale had been repeated by the 145 individuals. Results: The prevalence of type D personality was 31.7%. The scale consisting of 14 items showed a two-factor structure as "negative affect" and "social inhibision" similar to the original form. The scale described 50% of the total variance. The factor loadings of the scale were 0.76 to 0.41, the corrected total item correlations were 0.44 to 0.70 for 'negative affect' and 'social inhibision' ranges from 0.15 to 0.65. Cronbach alpha reliability was 0.85 for negative affect and 0.76 for social inclusion. It was stable over a 4 week period (rho=0.75 / 0.77). The structure validity of the scale were confirmed (χ2/sd=3.00, RMSEA=0.076, CFI=0.96, NFI=0.94, NNFI=0.95, GFI=0.92, AGFI=0.88). Depression, hostile attitudes and anxiety scores of individuals with type D personality were higher than those without type D personality (p ≤0.001). Conclusion: The D14 Scale was a reliable and valid scale for the healthy individuals in Turkish society. Modification of item 3 may increase the scale’s internal consistency. It is suggested that studies should be carried out to determine the prevalence of type D personality in society and to evaluate the effects on physical and mental health.