Pessimistic personality linked to erectile dysfunction

Young men with type D personality (TDP) have a higher prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED), according to a Taiwan study.

People with TDP tend to have “negative emotions across many situations but avoid expressing those emotions because of fear of rejection or disapproval.” [https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-to-know-about-type-d-personality]

A team of investigators performed a cross-sectional study in 1,740 sexually active Taiwanese men (aged 20‒40 years) with ED. Participants completed an online questionnaire collecting general demographic information and containing the International Index of Erectile Function-5, Type D scale-14, and Depression and Somatic Symptom Scale.

Comparisons between participants with vs without TDP were done through the use of Pearson’s chi squared or Student’s t test. Finally, the investigators performed multivariate and univariate logistic regression analyses to determine the predictors of moderate/severe ED.

Of the participants, 360 (15.9 percent) had moderate/severe ED and 941 (54.08 percent) had TDP. Significantly higher total and subscale scores in the International Index of Erectile Function-5 and the Depression and Somatic Symptom Scale were noted in men with TDP, who also displayed higher prevalence of moderate/severe ED.

Univariate analysis revealed that all variables, except for age and body mass index, significantly predicted moderate/severe ED. In multivariate analysis, TDP status and depression symptoms independently predicted moderate/severe ED.

“With regard to subscales of the Type D Scale-14, we discovered that social inhibition had a greater influence on moderate or severe ED than had negative affectivity,” the investigators said. “A mediation analysis indicated that the relationship between TDP and erectile dysfunction was mediated by depressive symptoms.”