Personality as predictor of mortality among patients with congestive heartfailure: a two-year follow-up study

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of neuroticism upo n mortality risk among patients with congestive heart failure. Proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the effect of the enduring personality factor, neuroticism, on mortality among 119 clinically stable patients (71 .4% men; mean age 65.7+/-9.6 years) with symptomatic heart failure, recruit ed from an outpatient cardiology practice. Twenty deaths were registered du ring the 24-month period of data collection, all from cardiac causes. Resul ts indicated that neuroticism was an independent predictor of mortality wit h a hazard ratio of 1.14, P< 0.01. Health care professionals should identif y CHF patients with a tendency to express high levels of neuroticism and sh ould try to provide appropriate treatment if possible. (C) 2001 Elsevier Sc ience Ltd. All rights reserved.