Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

Background: Considering roles of social-psychological risk factors, behavior and unhealthy life etiology and pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, this study explores vital exhaustion and type D personality in patients with heart disease, acute myocardial infarction and heart failure with normal individuals.

Methods: In the is causal-comparative study, 100 patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (50 patients with heart failure and 50 with acute myocardial infarction) and 50 healthy individuals matched with the patient groups were selected. The study instruments were Vital exhaustion Maastricht questionnaire and Denollet type D personality form. Multivariate analysis of variance was used for data analysis.

Results: The findings showed that among heart patients and normal subjects in terms of type D personality and its components (social inhibition and negative affect) there were significant differences in vital exhaustion. But no difference was observed between patients with acute myocardial infarction and heart failure.

Conclusion: Since vital exhaustion and type D personality are from important risk factors for patients with heart disease, the results of this study have important implications in the field of education and health interventions to improve the quality of life of patients with cardiovascular diseases.