School of Psychological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, USA.
Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, Rutgers University-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA.
PeerJ. 2022 Oct 27;10:e14302. doi: 10.7717/peerj.14302. eCollection 2022.
One personality type associated with poor health outcomes is distressed (Type D) personality which involves high levels of both social inhibition (SI) and negative affectivity (NA). Type D is also linked to psychopathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, and depression. One mechanism through which personality temperament may result in these psychopathologies is avoidance. Recently, a computer-based measure designed to assess avoidant behaviors, in which the participant guides the behavior of an avatar interacting with strangers in social situations, has been found to be related to various forms of avoidance. In the current study, we extended this work with the avatar avoidance task to determine its relationship to distressed (Type D) personality. We hypothesized that Type D personality, along with SI, but not NA, would be positively related to avatar avoidance scores. We also hypothesized that avatar avoidance scores would be higher in Type D individuals than non-Type D individuals.
A total of 302 undergraduates completed the Distressed Type D Personality Scale (DS-14), and a computer-based avatar avoidance task.
Type D and SI, and NA to a lesser degree, were positively correlated with avoidance scores on the avatar task. Furthermore, regression analyses revealed that Type D and SI scores were best predicted by a model including avoidance scores and education level while NA scores were best predicted by a model including avoidance scores. Standard cut-off scores on the DS-14 scale resulted in four groups (., low SI and NA, high SI, high NA, and Type D) which significantly differed in avoidance scores. Specifically, Type D individuals had higher avoidance scores than the other three groups. Taken together these findings support a role for avoidance in Type D personality. The computer-based avatar avoidance task may be particularly relevant as an ecologically valid measure to identify avoidance in a virtual setting for use with individuals expressing Type D personality who may be unwilling or unable to accurately self-report or describe their own avoidant tendencies.
与健康结果不佳相关的一种人格类型是苦恼型（Type D）人格，其特点是社交抑制（SI）和负性情感（NA）水平均较高。Type D 还与创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）、焦虑症和抑郁症等精神病理学有关。人格气质导致这些精神病理学的一种机制是回避。最近，一种基于计算机的测量方法被设计用来评估回避行为，其中参与者指导与陌生人在社交情境中互动的虚拟形象的行为，该方法已被发现与各种形式的回避行为有关。在本研究中，我们将该回避虚拟形象任务扩展到苦恼型（Type D）人格，以确定其与苦恼型人格的关系。我们假设，Type D 人格与 SI 相关，但与 NA 无关，与虚拟形象回避得分呈正相关。我们还假设，Type D 个体的虚拟形象回避得分高于非 Type D 个体。
共有 302 名本科生完成了苦恼型 D 人格量表（DS-14）和基于计算机的虚拟形象回避任务。
Type D 和 SI，以及程度较低的 NA，与虚拟形象回避任务的回避得分呈正相关。此外，回归分析显示，Type D 和 SI 得分最好由包括回避得分和教育水平的模型预测，而 NA 得分最好由包括回避得分的模型预测。DS-14 量表的标准截断分数导致四个组（低 SI 和 NA、高 SI、高 NA 和 Type D）在回避得分上存在显著差异。具体来说，Type D 个体的回避得分高于其他三个组。这些发现支持了回避在 Type D 人格中的作用。基于计算机的虚拟形象回避任务可能特别相关，因为它是一种生态有效的测量方法，可以在虚拟环境中识别表达 Type D 人格的个体的回避行为，这些个体可能不愿意或无法准确地自我报告或描述自己的回避倾向。
