Personality characteristics previously reported to be associated with tinnitus include hysteria and hypochondriasis [9,12], introversion [13], withdrawal [9], and emotional isolation [14]. Additionally, particular cognitive strategies, for example, dysfunctional and catastrophic thoughts can increase patients' emotional distress and perceived tinnitus severity, and are thought to be closely related to personality factors [15]. Neuroticism is expressed as “individual differences in the tendency to experience negative, distressing emotions” [16] (p. 301). At one extreme, individuals are characterized by high levels of vulnerability to experience negative emotions, including sadness, fear, anxiety, anger, frustration, and insecurity [17]. At the other end of the spectrum, individuals who score low in neuroticism are more emotionally stable and less reactive to stress. Neuroticism has been associated with adverse outcomes in various health conditions, including increased likelihood of morbidity in those with testicular cancer [18], and an increased likelihood of arthritis, kidney/liver disease, and diabetes in the general population [19]. There is evidence that neurotic traits are stronger in tinnitus patients [20], particularly in those with higher levels of tinnitus annoyance, and recent evidence that neuroticism may predict the development of severe tinnitus in patients already experiencing some tinnitus [21]. In a cross-sectional sample of 530 participants (50% with chronic tinnitus), Bartels and colleagues [22] studied the role of type D personality (the tendency towards negative affectivity and social inhibition) on health-related quality of life and self-reported tinnitus-related distress. Tinnitus patients with type D personality reported greater tinnitus-related distress and poorer health-related quality of life compared to those with other personality types. The authors concluded that some personality characteristics are associated with having tinnitus and are likely to contribute to its perceived severity.
cross-sectional sample
530 participants
participants
530 participants
with chronic tinnitus
50%
%