Type D personality and cardiovascular reactivity in active performance situations: Gender and task-specific influences

The present study evaluated the moderating influence of gender and type of stressor on cardiovascular effects of Type D personality. Seventy-two normotensive students (36 women) characterized as either Type D or non-Type D performed two evaluative active coping tasks: mental arithmetic and a speech task requiring persuasive behavior. Type D compared to non-Type D men exhibited intensified task engagement indicated by greater elevations in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR), whereas Type D women responded with withdrawal of effort. This gender-specific effect was primarily evident during mental arithmetic. Furthermore, Type D men, but not women, showed impaired HR recovery. These findings seem to suggest that dysfunctional cardiovascular response patterns might be more likely in Type D men.