[Myocardial infarct promoting type A behavior--an attempt to modify stress-inducing behavior]

To change some crucial elements of coronary-prone behaviour in cardiac patients is considered an important task of behaviour medicine, to reduce physico-chemical and, in particular, psychosocial "risk factors". The experimental study presented had examined whether the type A behaviour pattern, defined as the essential element of coronary-prone behaviour for its latent provocation of stress reactions, can be positively modified through behaviour therapy-focussed treatment within a clinical setting. A total of 91 persons, i.e. 49 recent-MI patients from an inpatient rehabilitation programme and 42 clients of a smoker counselling centre, were examined to identify type A or type B behaviour patterns (Rosenman u. Friedman, 1964). Of 39 type A post-MI patients, 13 (randomly selected) subjects were included in the "trial group" (VG), and participated, within a 4-8 week inpatient rehabilitation programme, in psychological training of stress management, relaxation, and self-control techniques; 3 patients denied participation; the remaining 23 type A post-MI patients, and the 20 type A smoker counselling clients, served as control group KG (A) and KG (B), who did not receive psychological training. Psychological and physiological parameters were assessed at the beginning (t1), the end (t2), as well as 3 and 6 months (t3 and t4) following completion of the psychological training. The results obtained confirm that the MI group includes significantly more type A persons (80 percent) than the cardiologically inconspicious control group of smokers (48 percent). Analysis of the data obtained at the various measurement points show that, as opposed to KG (A) and KG (B), significant improvements have in fact occurred in the trial group, such as reduced mental and psychovegetative stress reactions, which persisted even 3 months after programme completion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)