Authors

• Gordana Kamenečki — Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0001-7921-5239

Keywords

personality types, stationary cardiac rehabilitation

DOI

Full Text

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are still the leading cause of mortality, despite primary, secondary and tertiary prevention being used to combat morbidity and mortality. Media and public health service projects encourage healthy persons, as well as persons already suffering or having suffered of CVD, to change their lifestyle in order to increase their quality of life and longevity. In the 1950s much research was started trying to detect risky factors for CVD and most famous among them, the Framingham study, added to by Rosenman and Friedman’s research, which definite personality types A and B coronary prone behavior. People with Type A personality tend to exhibit hostility, competitiveness, impatience and are generally “workaholics” and the representation of Type A personality among cardiovascular patients is double that of Type B personality. In the basis of Type A there is a hidden lack of self-confidence and self-respect, which makes Type A feel the need to prove them to others. Such states are connected to increased anxiety as well. ( 1 ) The research conducted in the Special Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation Krapinske Toplice has given results that show after three weeks of stationary cardiac rehabilitation, which includes a number of procedures, there is a substantial decrease in anxiety and depression, but this change is not connected to the personality type of the patient. There is a substantial difference between Type A and Type B and the beginning and end of the rehabilitation procedure, but the change is about the same in both groups.