Adaptation to coronary artery disease: first pilot study in the military.
To determine how a group of 29 male military patients with coronary artery disease (CAD-MIL group) have adapted physically and psychosocially, we compared results from standard questionnaires with those from 39 healthy military men (WELL-MIL group) and 27 male civilian patients with coronary artery disease (CAD-CIV group). There was no difference in the degree of severity of coronary artery disease between the two groups with the disease. The WELL-MIL group reported a higher activity level than the CAD-MIL group, which reported a higher activity level than the CAD-CIV group. Both the CAD-MIL group and WELL-MIL groups had lower levels of state anxiety compared with the CAD-CIV group, and the CAD-MIL group had a better overall psychosocial adjustment score compared with that of the CAD-CIV group. Thus, male military patients with coronary artery disease reported better physical and psychosocial adjustment to their illness than a group of male civilian patients with a similar degree of disease severity. but they were less physically active than healthy military men.
Swenson
J R
JR
Department of Psychiatry, Ottawa General Hospital, Ontario, Canada.
Grenier
J
J
Nolan
R
R
FitzGibbon
G M
GM
Leach
A J
AJ
Raman
S
S
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D002170:Canada; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors