Examination of the Possible Relationship of MBTI Personality Types among Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients– A Cross-Sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between personality type and medical problems has been discussed widely in the literature, but empirical data on the relationship between heart diseases and personality types is lacking. In the current study, we aim to look at the connections (if there are ones) between Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality types and Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients (CRPs) profiles.

MATERIALS & METHODS: The current cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2017 to February 2019. The study included five hundred fifty-two (male: 336, female: 216) CRPs referred to Tehran Heart Center via a convenient sampling. After acquiring a written consent form and obtaining demographic data (age, educational status, blood type, antigen type, BMI, risk factors) from the medical history database, we asked participants to answer to Persian version of the MBTI questionnaire. Finally, we assessed any existing (if there) relationship between MBTI subtypes and the abovementioned variables among CRPs.

RESULTS: According to the current study, among 16 MBTI personality types, only four types were identified in cardiac rehabilitation patients. Accordingly, INTJ maintained the highest frequency of CRPs, followed by ISTJ, ESTJ and ISFJ, respectively. The current study demonstrated a significant difference between PCI and CABG interventions among four MBTI dichotomies. The study also shows no significant association between risk factors and MBTI personality types (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: The result of the study has a salient clinical implication, as it can be adopted in the screening and intervention phases of the clinical process. During the screening, a clinician can tailor the therapeutic procedures according to the specific needs of the patient's personality traits. Furthermore, clinicians may elevate patients' adherence to treatment by considering specific personality preferences.