Personality Traits of Coronary Heart Disease Patients: A Study of Female Young Adults

Abstract

The present research aimed to explore personality traits of young female adults (32-45 years of age) with coronary heart disease. Ten participants who had been diagnosed with a kind of coronary heart disease for at least one year and resided in Bangkok or nearby provinces were the informants in this study. Data were collected by using McAdams’ key scenes narrative interview, in-depth interview, scenarios, and participatory observation. Extended information was gained from some of the informants’ family members. All ten informants were born and raised in a conventional Thai or Chinese-Thai cultural context and reported having at least one source of excessive stress in their lives. The findings showed 2 patterns of personality traits. The pattern I personality traits were submissiveness, proneness for anxiety and depression, insecurity, lack of self-confidence, frequent emotional inhibition, and discomfort when involved in social situations without support. These were all compatible with Denollet’s Type D personality construct, while the pattern II personality traits were excessive competitive drive, impatience and hostility which relatively compatible with Friedman and Rosenman’s Type A personality construct. Moreover, most informants with pattern I personality traits came from a lower socio-economic status background, had limited education, and suffered from inequality in social opportunities comparing to those with pattern II personality traits.