Gender Differences on Resilience among CVD Patients

Abstract

Problems like CAD and Cancer increasing worldwide. The role of psychological factors in the occurrence of CAD has been, widely excepted. Coronary artery Disease is the condition that affects the heart and sometimes the blood vessels. CAD is considered not only a medical problem but also a social and psychological problem because “the illness changes society’s attitude towards the patient” (Tkhostov, 2002). A significant proportion of CAD patients suffer social, emotional and psychological distress, therefore, psychological interventions have proven to be effective for helping patients suffering from heart ailments. Resilience is defined as an individual’s ability to properly adapt to stress and adversity. Emmey Warner (1970) was one of the early scientists to use the term resilience. Resilient people are free from negative emotions and thoughts, remaining optimistic in most of all situations. Therefore the present study was undertaken to study resilience among CAD patients. The participants for the present study comprised of 100 CAD patients (50 males and 50 females). The sample was drawn from Department of Cardiology, Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JNMCH), of Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (U.P.). Resilience Scale developed by Wangnild and Young’s resilience (1993) was used for the present study. It consists of 25 items measuring 5 sub dimensions VIZ, Equanimity, Perseverance, self-reliance, meaningfulness, and Existential aloneness. Data were analysed using SPSS 16 version.