title: Factors associated with work resumption: a 5 year follow-up with cardiac patients.
abstract: Physiological and psychological parameters of 41 cardiac patients who retired after an inpatient rehabilitation treatment in Germany were compared with those of 41 patients (matched exactly according to sex, age, and diagnosis) who worked after a 5 year follow-up. Both samples were selected from a large pool of 733 consecutive cardiac patients participating in the rehabilitation program with follow-ups at 1, 3 and 5 years. The following physiological parameters were assessed: clinical characteristics such as biochemical variables and functional parameters of the left ventricle, performance and electrocardiogram during ergometric exercise, and medication. Psychological parameters assessed with questionnaires comprised: life satisfaction, physical complaints, and illness behavior, socioeconomic and anamnestic data. No substantial differences were observed for medical data, but psychological parameters showed striking differences. Retired patients were characterized by lower work satisfaction, complaints of being more handicapped by the disease, higher 'propensity for pension', more frequent complaints concerning their general state of health, and lower education level.
authors.affiliation: Psychophysiological Research Group at the University of Freiburg, Germany. myrtek@psychologie.uni-freiberg.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Myrtek
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rauch
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jansen
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001835:Body Weight; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009819:Office Visits; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014937:Work; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation