Predicting adjustment of heart patients with the Cardiac Adjustment Scale

Cardiac Adjustment Scale (CAS) scores for 74 cardiac patients between 31 and 64 years of age who completed a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program were examined to determine whether they could predict return to work, judged adjustment to cardiac disability, and participation in the rehabilitation program. CAS scores proved to be unrelated to either vocational status or program involvement. Low CAS scores were associated with maladjustment, but higher scores were associated equally with good and poor adjustment. The results suggested that the CAS alone was of little value in increasing the accuracy of prediction of psychological or vocational adjustment with the population studied.