Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T05:15:49.978Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Relations between Life Satisfaction, Adjustment to Illness, and Emotional Distress in a Sample of Men with Ischemic Cardiopathy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

María Ángeles Ruiz ,
Pilar Sanjuan ,
Ana M. Pérez-García  and
Beatriz Rueda
María Ángeles Ruiz*
Affiliation:
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (Spain)
Pilar Sanjuan
Affiliation:
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (Spain)
Ana M. Pérez-García
Affiliation:
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (Spain)
Beatriz Rueda
Affiliation:
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Mª Ángeles Ruiz Fernández. Dpto. Psicología de la Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamiento Psicológicos. Facultad de Psicología. UNED. Apartado 60.148. C/ Juan del Rosal 10. Ciudad Universidad. 28040 Madrid. (Spain). E-mail: mruiz@psi.uned.es
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Fifty-two men who had suffered a first episode ischemic heart disease reported their degree of life satisfaction, the strategies they used to adjust to the illness, and the symptoms of anxiety and depression they felt. The multiple regression analyses carried out indicated that emotional distress was associated with a lower level of life satisfaction. In the analyses of anxiety symptoms, the use of negative adjustment strategies was also a significant predictor. Lastly, a significant Life Satisfaction x Type of Adjustment interaction was obtained. According to this, the patients who felt more satisfaction with their lives used more positive strategies to adjust to the illness and fewer negative ones, than the group of patients who were less satisfied. In conclusion, life satisfaction predicts emotional well-being of patients with ischemic heart disease and it enhances the implementation of appropriate strategies to cope with the disease. Moreover, although life satisfaction has been considered a stable measure, we suggest it may change as the experience of illness limits individuals' important goals.

Cincuenta y dos varones que acababan de sufrir algún episodio de cardiopatía isquémica por primera vez informaron del grado de satisfacción con su vida, las estrategias empleadas para ajustarse a la enfermedad y los síntomas de ansiedad y depresión que sentían. Los análisis de regresión múltiple realizados mostraron que el malestar emocional se asociaba con una menor satisfacción vital; y en el caso de la ansiedad, se añadía una tendencia a utilizar en mayor medida estrategias negativas de ajuste. Finalmente, se obtuvo una interacción significativa satisfacción vital x tipo de ajuste a la enfermedad, indicando que los pacientes más satisfechos utilizaban más el ajuste adaptativo que los menos satisfechos, y tendían a utilizar menos que estos últimos el ajuste negativo. Puede concluirse que la satisfacción predice el bienestar emocional de los pacientes con cardiopatía isquémica, facilitando la puesta en marcha de estrategias más adecuadas ante la enfermedad. Además se sugiere la posibilidad de que el nivel de satisfacción pueda variar con el tiempo a medida que la enfermedad limite metas importantes para el individuo.

Keywords

life satisfactionadjustment strategiescopingemotional distresscardiovascular diseasesatisfacción vitalestrategias de ajusteafrontamientomalestar emocionaltrastornos cardiovasculares
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , May 2011 , pp. 356 - 365
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agarwal, M., Dalal, A., Agarwal, D., & Agarwal, R. (1995). Positive life orientation and recovery from myocardial infarction. Social Science & Medicine, 40, 125–130. doi:10.1016/0277-9536(94)E0058-ZCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, G. (1996). The benefits of optimism: A meta-analytic review of the Life Orientation Test. Personality and Individual Differences, 21, 719–725. doi:10.1016/0191-8869(96)00118-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baron, R., & Kenny, D. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blumenthal, J., Lett, H., Babyak, M., White, W., Smith, P., Mark, D. B., … Newman, M. F. (2003). Depression as a risk factor for mortality after coronary artery bypass surgery. Lancet, 362, 604–609. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(03)14190-6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bush, D. E., Ziegelstein, R., Tayback, M., Richter, D., Steven, S., Zahalsky, H., & Fauerbach, J.A. (2001). Even minimal symptoms of depression increase mortality risk after acute myocardial infarction. American Journal of Cardiology, 88, 337–341. doi:10.1016/S0002-9149(01)01675-7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carney, R., Freedland, K., Miller, G., & Jaffe, A. (2002). Depression as a risk factor for cardiac mortality and morbidity: A review of potential mechanisms. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53, 897–902. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(02)00311-2CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carney, R., Freedland, K., Sheline, Y., & Weiss, E. (1997). Depression and coronary heart disease: A review for cardiologists. Clinical Cardiology, 20, 196–200. doi:10.1002/clc.4960200304CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carver, C., Pozo, C., Harris, S., Noriega, V., Scheier, M., Robinson, D., … Clark, K. (1993). How coping mediates the effect of optimism on distress: A study of women with early stage breast cancer. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 375–390. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.65.2.375CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cordova, M., Cunningham, L., Carlson, C., & Andrykowski, M. (2001). Posttraumatic growth following breast cancer: A controlled comparison study. Health Psychology, 20, 176–185. doi:10.1037//0278-6133.20.3.176CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cummins, R. (1996). The domains of life satisfaction: An attempt to order chaos. Social Indicator Research, 38, 303–332. doi:10.1007/BF00292050CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being. The science of happiness and proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55, 34–43. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diener, E., Lucas, R., & Oishi, S. (2002). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and life satisfaction. In Snyder, C. R. & Lopez, S. J. (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 63–73). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Dubey, A., & Agarwal, A. (2007). Coping strategies and life satisfaction: Chronically ill patients' perspectives. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 33, 161–168.Google Scholar
Everson-Rose, S. A., & Lewis, T. T. (2005). Psychosocial factors and cardiovascular diseases. Annual Review of Public Health, 26, 469–500. doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144542CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ferrrero, J., Barreto, M., & Toledo, M. (1994). Mental adjustment to cancer and quality of life in breast cancer patients: An exploratory study. Psycho-oncology, 3, 223–232. doi:10.1002/pon.2960030309CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fredrickson, B. (2002). Positive emotions. In Snyder, C. R. & Lopez, S. J. (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 120–134). London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Gallo, L., Ghaed, S., & Bracken, W. (2004). Emotions and cognitions in coronary heart disease: Risk, resilience, and social context. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 28, 669–694. doi:10.1023/B:COTR.0000045571.11566.19CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glassman, A., & Shapiro, P. (1998). Depression and the course of coronary artery disease. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155, 4–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goodwin, R., Davidson, K., & Keyes, K. (2009). Mental disorders and cardiovascular disease among adults in the United States. Journal of Psychiatry Research, 43, 239–246. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2008.05.006CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gravely-Witte, S., De Gucht, V., Heiser, W., Grace, S., & Van Elderen, T. (2007). The impact of angina and cardiac history on health-related quality of life and depression in coronary heart disease patients. Chronic Illness, 3, 66–76. doi:10.1177/1742395307079192CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hart, K. E., Turner, S. H., & Cardozo, S. R. (1987). Ongoing research. Stress, personality, coping and well-being: A four-wave longitudinal process study. Personality and Individual Differences, 8, 591–593. doi:10.1016/0191-8869(87)90226-1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hemingway, H., & Marmot, M. (1999). Evidence-based cardiology: Psychosocial factors in the etiology and prognosis of coronary heart disease: Systematic review of prospective cohort studies. British Medical Journal, 318, 1460–1467.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holmbeck, G. (2002). Post-hoc probing of significant moderation and mediational effects in studies of pediatric populations. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 27, 87–96. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/27.1.87CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keyes, C. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43, 207–222. doi:10.2307/3090197CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keyes, C. (2004). The nexus of cardiovascular disease and depression revisited: The complete mental health perspective and the moderating role of age and gender. Aging and Mental Health, 8, 266–274. doi:10.1080/13607860410001669804CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keyes, C., & Lopez, S. J. (2002). Toward a science of mental health: Positive directions in diagnosis and interventions. In Snyder, C. R. & Lopez, S. J. (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 45–59). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Kuppens, P., Realo, A., & Diener, E. (2008). The role of positive and negative emotions in life satisfaction judgment across nations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 66–75. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.95.1.66CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leedham, B., Meyerowitz, B., Muirhead, J., & Frist, W. (1995). Positive expectations predict health after heart transplantation. Health Psychology, 14, 74–79. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.14.1.74CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martin, C., Thompson, D., & Barth, J. (2008). Factor structure of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in coronary heart disease patients in three countries. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 14, 281–287. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2753.2007.00850.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Matthews, K., Raikkonen, K., Sutton-Tyrrell, K., & Kuller, L. (2004). Optimistic attitudes protect against progression of carotid atherosclerosis in healthy middle-aged women. Psychosomatic Medicine, 66, 640–644. doi:10.1097/01.psy.0000139999.99756.a5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Medrano, M., Boix, R., Cerrato, E., & Ramírez, M. (2006). Incidencia y prevalencia de cardiopatía isquémica y enfermedad cerebrovascular en España: revisión sistemática de la literatura [Incidence and prevalence of ischemic cardiopathy and stroke in Spain: A systematic review]. Revista Española de Salud Pública, 80, 5–15. doi:10.1590/S1135-57272006000100002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moser, D., & Dracup, K. (1996). Is anxiety early after myocardial infarction associated with subsequent ischemic and arrhythmic events? Psychosomatic Medicine, 58, 395–401.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Musselman, D., Evans, D., & Nemeroff, C. (1998). The relationship of depression to cardiovascular disease: Epidemiology, biology, and treatment. Archives of General Psychiatry, 55, 580–592. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.55.7.580CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Penninx, B., Beekman, A., Honig, A., Deeg, D., Schooevers, R., Van Eijk, J., & Van Tilburg, W. (2001). Depression and cardiac mortality: Results from a community-based longitudinal study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 58, 221–227. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.58.3.221CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pérez-García, A. M., & Sanjuán, P. (2003). Personalidad y enfermedad [Personality and disease]. In Bermúdez, J., Pérez-García, A. M., & Sanjuán, P., Psicología de la Personalidad: Teoría e Investigación. Volumen II (pp. 343–400). Madrid: UNED.Google Scholar
Rojas, M. (2006). Life satisfaction and satisfaction in domains: Is it a simple relationship? Journal of Happiness Studies, 7, 467–497. doi:10.1007/s10902-006-9009-2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rozanski, A., & Kubzansky, L. (2005). Psychological functioning and physical health: A paradigm of flexibility. Psychosomatic Medicine, 67, 47–53. doi:10.1097/01.psy.0000164253.69550.49CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rueda, B. (2004). Competencia percibida y salud: aproximación general y aplicación a la enfermedad cardiovascular [Perceived competence and health: General approach and application to cardiovascular disease]. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). UNED, MadridGoogle Scholar
Rueda, B., & Pérez-García, A. M. (2006). A prospective study of the effects of psychological resources and depression in essential hypertension. Journal of Health Psychology, 11, 129–140. doi:10.1177/1359105306058868CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ruiz, M. A., & Baca, E. (1993). Design and validation of the Quality of Life Questionnaire (Cuestionario de Calidad de Vida, CCV): A generic health-related quality of life instrument. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 9, 19–32Google Scholar
Scheier, M., Matthews, J., Owens, J., Magovern, G., Lefebvre, R., Abbott, R., & Carver, C. (1989). Dispositional optimism and recovery from coronary artery bypass surgery: The beneficial effects on physical and psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1024–1040. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1024CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schimmack, U., Oishi, S., Furr, R., & Funder, D. (2004). Personality and life satisfaction: A facet-level analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 1062–1075. doi:10.1177/0146167204264292CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seligman, M., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5–14. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, T. W., & MacKenzie, J. (2006). Personality and risk of physical illness. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 2, 435–467. doi:10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.2.022305.095257CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sobel, M. (1988). Direct and indirect effects in linear structural equation models. In Long, J. (Ed.), Common problem/proper solutions: Avoiding error in quantitative research (pp. 46–64). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Suls, J., & Bunde, J. (2005). Anger, anxiety, and depression as risk factors for cardiovascular disease: The problems and implications of overlapping affective dispositions. Psychological Bulletin, 131, 260–300. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.131.2.260CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stanton, A., Revenson, T., & Tennen, H. (2007). Health psychology: Psychological adjustment to chronic disease. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 565–592. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085615CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Todaro, J., Shen, B., Raffa, S., Tilkemeier, P., & Niaura, R. (2007). Prevalence of anxiety disorders in men and women with established coronary heart disease. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, 27, 86–91. doi:10.1097/01.HCR.0000265036.24157.e7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vinaccia, S., Quiceno, J. M., Gaviria, A. M., & Dey Garzón, M. I. (2008). Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en adultos diagnosticados con epilepsia [Health-related quality of life in adult diagnosed with epilepsy]. Revista de Psicopatología y Psicología Clínica, 13, 85–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watson, M., & Homwood, J. (2008). Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale: Psychometric properties in a large cancer cohort. Psycho-Oncology, 17, 1146–1151. doi:10.1002/pon.1345CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watson, M., Greer, S., Young, J., Inayat, Q., Burgess, C., & Robertson, C. (1988). Development of a questionnaire measure of adjustment to cancer: the MAC scale. Psychological Medicine, 18, 203–209. doi:10.1017/s0033291700002026CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization (2007). Fact sheet n° 317. Retrieved from http://www.int/mediacentre/factsheet/fs317/en/ptint.htmlGoogle Scholar
Zigmond, A. S., & Snaith, R. P. (1983). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Acta Psychiatrica. Scandinavica, 67, 361–370. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1983.tb09716.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed