A Comparative Study of Quality of Family, Social Relationships and Type D Personality in Cardiovascular Patients and Non-Patients

Abstract

This study aims to compare the quality of family and social relationships and Type D personality in cardiovascular patients with normal people. In this research, 300 individuals (n = 150 male, 150 female) are divided in two groups of patient (n = 150) and non-patients (n = 150) were selected as samples from the author’s offices (both private and his office in Mazandaran Heart Center). They attended in this study filling the questionnaires of “Pierce Quality relations” and “Personality Inventory (DS14)”. In order to analyze data, First observations were described by the help of descriptive statistics methods including tables, graphs, and indices of central tendency and distribution. Then, observations were described by inferential statistics methods such as univariate and multivariate analysis of variance and then were analyzed by SPSS. Out of the 300 participants, 108 patients (36%) had the mean age of 52 to 63 years old and 30 patients (10%) were 30 to 40 years old. This study showed that there is a significant difference between cardiovascular patients and control group in terms of quality of family and social relationships and Type D personality (P < 0.01). Cardiovascular patients have lower quality of family and social relationships, social support, as well as lower depth of relationships, and also higher relationship conflict than normal people. Also cardiovascular patients have higher type D personality than normal people (P < 0.01). In general, research findings indicate the importance of psychological factors associated with coronary artery disease.