تیپ شخصیتی (نوع D) مضطرب به طور مستقل با وزوز گوش همراه است:کنترل مورد مطالعه

Background Tinnitus is a common and disturbing condition, reported by 10% to 20% of the general population. Objective The authors sought to determine personality characteristics associated with tinnitus patients versus a control group of ear-nose-throat (ENT) patients without tinnitus. Method Adult chronic tinnitus sufferers (N = 265) and ENT patients without tinnitus (N = 265) participated in a cross-sectional study. The authors evaluated personality characteristics with tests for distressed personality (Type D), neuroticism, extraversion, and emotional stability. Results As compared with control subjects, tinnitus patients had statistically significant and clinically relevant higher levels of neuroticism, negative affectivity, and social inhibition, on one hand, and lower levels of extraversion and emotional stability on the other hand. Also, tinnitus patients were more likely to have a type D personality. Conclusions Neuroticism, reduced extraversion, and reduced emotional stability were associated with tinnitus, but the level of prediction of the model improved with the addition of type D personality to the single traits. This might indicate that personality characteristics, and type D personality, in particular, are associated with having tinnitus and might contribute to its perceived severity.

Tinnitus is an auditory phantom perception of sound in the absence of an acoustic stimulus. As a consequence of a reduced afferent input, neural plastic processes generate tinnitus in the central parts of the auditory system. Tinnitus is a common and disturbing condition, reported by 10% to 20% of the general population.1,2 In a sample of 1,275 subjects across 11 countries, the overall prevalence of tinnitus was 11%, with a higher prevalence in patients with somatization disorder (42%) or hypochondriacal disorder (27%).3 Tinnitus is more prevalent in men than women, and its occurrence seems to increase with advancing age.1,2,4 Perceived tinnitus severity affects patients’ quality of life, including physical, emotional, and social functioning, and it induces psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression.3,5., 6., 7., 8., 9., 10. and 11. However, not all patients with tinnitus experience the same levels of distress and the same impairments to quality of life; personality characteristics likely play an important mediating role.