Does it matter what patients think? The relationship between changes in patients' beliefs about angina and their psychological and functional status.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to examine the association between changes in misconceived or maladaptive beliefs about angina and patients' functional and psychological status.


METHODS
The method used was a prospective follow-up study over 1 year of 133 people with angina.


RESULTS
Beliefs about angina were significantly associated with functional and psychological status. People with more misconceived or maladaptive beliefs were more anxious and physically limited than were people with fewer such beliefs, with differences in physical functioning that were clinically significant. Change in angina beliefs over 1 year was the most significant predictor for physical functioning at follow-up, after controlling for the effects of demographic variables and the outcome variable at baseline, whereas change in the frequency of angina did not contribute significantly to this model.


CONCLUSIONS
Misconceived and maladaptive beliefs about angina are associated with reductions in both functional and psychological status. These beliefs are easily and quickly identified using a simple questionnaire and should be corrected.
Furze
Gill
G
British Heart Foundation Care and Education Research Group, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK. gf107@york.ac.uk
Lewin
Robert J P
RJ
Murberg
Terje
T
Bull
Peter
P
Thompson
David R
DR
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies