Gender-linked personality traits predict mental health and functional status following a first coronary event

Three gender-linked traits were examined with respect to adjustment to a co ronary event: agency, a focus on the self; communion, a focus on others; an d unmitigated communion, an extreme focus on others to the exclusion of the self. Participants (II = 65) were interviewed 1 week and 4 months after a Ist coronary event. Hypotheses were that agency should predict improved hea lth, communion should be unrelated to health, and unmitigated communion sho uld predict worse health over time. Outcomes included depression, anxiety, and well-being (as measured by the Profile of Mood States; D. McNair, M. Lo rr, Br L. Droppleman, 1971); mental and physical functioning (SF-36; J. E. Ware, K. K. Snow, M. Kosinski, & B. Gandek, 1993); and cardiac symptoms. Re sults confirmed hypotheses. In addition, unmitigated communion was linked w ith poor health behavior and negative social interactions, which partly exp lained the link of unmitigated communion with depression and cardiac sympto ms.