Life stressors and personality traits in ischemic cerebral infarction

Background: Cerebral stroke, known as one of the most common causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The frequency of stroke is rising by ageing the population and placed a significant concern for public health. However, modifying risk factors contributing to stroke may decrease the burden of the disease. This study aimed to examine the association of life stressors and personality types with stroke. Method: The participants were a convenient clinical sample of ۱۰۰ patients with ischemic stroke and ۱۰۰ individuals without stroke. The Paykel life event questionnaire and Friedman and Rosenman personality type questionnaire were used to evaluate life stressor and personality characteristics, respectively. Results: Among the different types of stressor subgroups, mean prevalence score of total life stressors, psycho-social stressors, frustration-despair stressors and mental-physical stressors were significantly higher in patients (p=۰.۰۰۱, p<۰.۰۰۱, p=۰.۰۰۱, and p<۰.۰۰۱ respectively). The prevalence of type A personality in stroke patients and control groups were ۵۲ and ۴۵ %, respectively (p = ۰.۳۲۲). Severity scores of stressors were often higher in cerebral infarction patients with type A personality. Conclusion: There is an association between higher psychological stressors and stroke, and people with type A personality in both groups experienced more stress than type B. It suggests that cerebral infarction patients with type A personality have a higher level of stress in response to life events which could be considered as a modifiable factor.

کلیدواژه ها:

Personality type ، Stressor ، Brain ، Stroke