title: [Psychological adaptation in coronary patients].
abstract: Summarizing some essential results from empirical investigations about the individual adaptation and coping with coronary heart diseases five principles are formulated: It ist not possible to predict the individual reactions to a coronary disease from the knowledge of the pathophysiological aspects. The behaviour pattern of these patients are different and complex determined. The individual reactions to the outbreak of the disease equally depend on familial, occupational, social and public health care factors on one side and on intrapsychical factors of the patient on the other side (i.e. personality structure, psychological status before the event etc.). The fact of a coronary or myocardial disease does not necessarily lead to a life-crisis or maladaptation. For the patient's style of life positive and/or negative effects of the disease can be differentiated. The patient's appraisal of a therapeutic success depends therefore on the intraindividual reinforcement-value of such a success. Adaptation and coping strategies are not uniform in phenomenological or time aspects. The emotional, cognitive and behavioural patterns primarily tend to help to cope with anxiety and uncertainty (f.i. denial, depression, aggression, building up a new identity). In the patient's mind a myocardial infarction is not necessarily the most important event in his actual life-situation. Concerning the heart disease fears about the own capacity of work and financial outcome are dominant. They are followed by concerns about the medical prognosis or course of disease, family life and partnership, satisfaction with future life and its meaning, and aspects of the social or ecological environment. Over all these patients show relatively optimistic prospects to their own future.
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D011788:Quality of Life; D012931:Social Environment
vernacular_title: Psychologische Krankheitsverarbeitung bei Koronarkranken.