[Life styles of myocardial infarct patients and of control groups: various similarities and differences].

Abstract

In a population sample of 'healthy' males (N = 136; age 39-41) the classifications on the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) for assessing the Type A/B coronary-prone behavior pattern, and on the Maastricht Questionnaire (MQ), measuring emotional drain and subsequent depression, were investigated in relation to retrospective reporting of life changes on a newly developed Middle Adulthood Life Changes Questionnaire (MALC). In ANOVA, Type A subjects (N = 70) did report significantly more life changes in their work environment and family situation over the last two years than their Type B counterparts (N = 66). For subjects reporting clearcut manifestations of vital exhaustion and depression (N = 32) the same statistical associations do hold. Also, these latter subjects did evaluate their life changes as significantly 'more distressing' or as 'requiring more adjustment'. A group of male myocardial infarction (MI) patients (N = 35; average age 52) was compared with this control group on the MQ and the MALC. The MI-group showed a significantly lower average MQ-score than the section of the control group with clearcut manifestations of emotional drain and depression. Mean 'adjustment' scores, however, were significantly higher in the MI-group. In the discussion, the requirements for a dynamic life-span developmental model for explaining the assumedly different life-courses of MI-cases and controls are enunciated.