CATTELL 16-PF AND PSY-INVENTORY - RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERSONALITY-TRAITS AND BEHAVIORAL-RESPONSES IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between per sonality and behavioral responses in patients with acute myocardial in farction. Tn a first step, a new instrument (PSY Inventory) for assess ment of six behavioral characteristics (Sense of Responsibility, Energ y and Competitiveness, Obsessive Behavior, Anger and Hostility, Stress -related Disturbances, Time Urgency) was developed by using factor ana lysis on intercorrelations of responses from 524 subjects of the gener al population. Internal consistency reliability for each of the PSY su bscales was estimated by Cronbach alpha coefficients. In a second step , the PSY Inventory was administered with the Cattell 16 PF Questionna ire to 838 patients affected by acute myocardial infarction. Significa nt correlations although relatively low in magnitude for PSY Inventory subscales and certain scales of the Cattell 16 PF were found. With fa ctor analysis on 22 variables (including the six PSY Inventory subscal es and the 16 scales of the Cattell 16 PF), five second-order factors were identified, namely, Extra version, Neurotic Anxiety, Superego Str ength, Pathemia, and Neurotic Hostility. While a Pathemia Factor (char acterized by sensitivity, imagination, and self-sufficiency) was facto rially independent of scales of the PSY Inventory, Extraversion, Neuro tic Anxiety, Superego Strength, and Neurotic Hostility Factors were co mposed of the PSY Inventory scales and Cattell 16 PF scales combined. These relationships would reflect the concordance of internal construc ts for behavioral measures of the PSY Inventory and those of personali ty traits of the 16 PF Questionnaire in patients with acute myocardial infarction.