Type D, anxiety and depression in association with quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease and patients with multiple sclerosis

• Published in: Quality of life research 2013-08, Vol.22 (6), p.1353-1360
• Main Authors: Dubayova, Tatiana, Krokavcova, Martina, Nagyova, Iveta, Rosenberger, Jaroslav, Gdovinova, Zuzana, Middel, Berrie, Groothoff, Johan W., van Dijk, Jitse P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Affect; Aged; Anxiety; Anxiety - complications; Anxiety - psychology; Brain research; California; Cardiovascular disease; Chronic diseases; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression - complications; Depression - psychology; Depressive disorders; Disability; Disease models; Emotions; Female; Health Status; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Mental Health; Mental illness; Middle Aged; Multiple sclerosis; Multiple Sclerosis - physiopathology; Multiple Sclerosis - psychology; Nervous system; Nervous system diseases; Neurology; Parkinson disease; Parkinson Disease - physiopathology; Parkinson Disease - psychology; Parkinson's disease; Personality; Personality traits; Public Health; Quality of Life; Quality of Life Research; Questionnaires; Regression Analysis; Social interaction; Society; Sociology; Special education; Type D Personality
• ISSN: 0962-9343; 1573-2649
• DOI: 10.1007/s11136-012-0257-9

Purpose The present study examines the role of Type D personality, anxiety and depression in quality of life (QoL) in patients with two chronic neurological diseases—Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods This cross-sectional study included 142 PD patients (73 % males; mean age 67.6 ± 9.2 years) and 198 patients with MS (32.3 % males; 38.4 ± 10.8 years). Multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the association of UDPRS (PD patients) or EDSS (MS patients), Type D personality (DS-14) and anxiety and depression (HADS) with the physical (PCS) and mental summary (MCS) of QoL, as measured by the SF-36. Results In PD patients, Type D was significantly associated with MCS only; in MS patients, Type D was significantly associated with both dimensions—MCS and PCS. After adding anxiety and depression, the importance of Type D for the QoL model dramatically decreased. Anxiety and depression were strongly associated with lower scores in MCS and PCS in both PD and MS patients. Conclusions The actual mood of PD and MS patients—the level of anxiety or depression—might have a greater impact on patients' QoL than their personality. Further longitudinal research should focus on how the pathway consisting of personality traits, anxiety and depression, and QoL might be constructed.