Positive outlook, sense of self-control can predict new coronary events, says Carnegie Me...( lasty was also considered to be success...),Health

To assess patient attitudes, Helgeson and Fritz interviewed all the patients and measured their responses using three components of cognitive adaptation theory -- self-esteem, optimism and control. The Rosenberg global self-esteem scale, the Life Orientation Test, which measures optimism, and the Pearlin and Schooler scale, which measures general feelings of personal control, were used to assess the patients' mental outlook.

The results of interviews, coupled with a six-month follow-up, showed that patients who exhibited a positive regard for themselves, an optimistic outlook for the future and a belief that they could make necessary lifestyle changes, might have altered the course of their diseases.

What the study suggested but could not determine was the source of a more provocative mind-body question -- does a patient's psychological state have a direct effect on the physiological processes leading to new coronary events' Because doctors do not completely understand what causes restenosis, Helgeson said it is worth questioning whether psychological factors could trigger more damage to the heart's arteries.

"The idea for the study came from my long-standing interest in cognitive adaptation theory, which gives some insight into how people adjust to chronic illness," Helgeson said. "I am interested, specifically, in how people's attitudes might influence their psychological adjustment to illness as well as the recurrence of physical events.

"Our study certainly suggests that health care professionals can try to identify people who are at risk for subsequent events and perhaps monitor their health behavior. The results also have implications for what kind of therapy patients may want to undergo. An intervention based on enhancing people's feelings of control and giving people tools to exert control over their illnesses seems l
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Contact: Vicki Helgeson
vh2e@andew.cmu.edu
412-268-2624
Carnegie Mellon University
2-Aug-1999