Psychosocial factors and myocardial infarction

Two questionnaires totalling 370 questions were used to compare 61 male patients who had survived a first myocardial infarction with a group controlled for age and social status who had not had an infarction. The questionnaires included the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, providing a measure of 15 personality variables, the Anxiety and Depression Sub-Scales of the MMPI, and the Cochrane and Robertson Life Events Inventory, as well as originally-designed questions based on known risk factors. Significant differences were found in several dimensions of personality as well as in the family histories of myocardial infarction and in certain life styles. The patient group showed a greater sense of independence, greater difficulty in relaxing, and a sence of personal inferiority. Suggestions are offered for the modification of life styles in susceptible individuals as a possible aid to prevention.