Psycho-social factors are important for the perception of disease in patients with acute coronary disease.

INTRODUCTION

Little is presently known about determinants of cardiac illness perceptions, especially regarding psycho-social factors.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Questionnaire study among 97 consecutively recruited inpatients (72.2% male; mean age 60.6 years) with acute coronary syndrome. We examined the role of socio-demographic, illness-related and psycho-social factors (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, General Self-Efficacy Scale and Life Orientation Test-Revised) for perceived consequences, controllability and causes (Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire) with standard multiple regression.

RESULTS

In final models, dispositional pessimism was associated with perceptions of more severe consequences, less personal control and more attribution of illness to immune system factors. Dispositional optimism was associated with less severe perceived consequences. Higher general self-efficacy was associated with less attribution of illness to psychological factors, smoking and poor medical care. Greater perceived social support was associated with higher perceived treatment control and less attribution of illness to immune system factors, poor medical care, chance and accident. Also, gender, educational status, previous heart disease and family history of cardiovascular disease were significantly related to illness perceptions, whereas present disease severity (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events) was not.

CONCLUSION

Psycho-social resources and illness history were more important determinants of cardiac illness perceptions than present disease severity.

FUNDING: This study was supported by unrestricted grants from The FOOD Study Group and The Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries; The Beckett-Foundation; and The Augustinus Foundation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not relevant.