CASE 1 – Social inhibition and emotional distress study
Behavioral scientists are designing a study to examine social inhibition and emotional distress in patients who have coronary artery disease (CAD) and a distressed (Type D) personality profile. The Type D personality profile is characterized by high levels of negative affectivity and social inhibition.
The scientists consider the relationship between Type D and emotional distress (e.g., depression, anxiety, etc.) to be highly important, as emotional distress is known to be associated with adverse cardiovascular outcome. In addition, social inhibition appears to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk, although the evidence for this association is less compelling.
The aim of the study is to increase our knowledge regarding the content and distinctiveness of the social inhibition construct by investigating its associations with markers of emotional distress and inhibition in patients with CAD. The behavioral scientists propose to recruit 175 patients with post-acute CAD during their regular check-up visit to a cardiac outpatient clinic. Patients will be eligible to participate in the study if they received a diagnosis of CAD and are at least 18 years of age. After the patients are informed about the study, they will receive a modest questionnaire at the outpatient clinic and will be asked to complete and return the questionnaire by mail within 2 weeks. Patients with a history of psychiatric illness other than an affective and/or anxiety disorder, and patients who are unable to complete the questionnaires due to language or other issues, will be excluded.
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?