Cardiac coping style, heartbeat detection, and the interpretation of cardiac events

Objectives. Vigilance to, and avoidance of, cardiac sensations and symptoms were explored in three studies. Design and methods. In the first study, a self-report measure of cardiac vi gilance and cardiac avoidance, the Cardiac Coping Inventory (CCI), was admi nistered to 453 students, and its factor structure, internal consistency, a nd test-retest reliability were established. In the second, 31 undergraduat es completed the CCI, and their cardioceptive sensitivity was measured on a heartbeat detection task. In a third study of 91 patients with suspected m yocardial infarction, the role of coping styles in symptom interpretations was analysed. Results. Cardiac avoidance and vigilance were independent of general sympto m reporting tendencies, Cardiac vigilance was negatively correlated with he artbeat detection. Among the patients, delay in seeking treatment was predi cted by the perceived importance of chest pain, which was influenced by the intensity of chest pain and cardiac vigilance. Conclusions. Although individuals high in cardiac vigilance do not seem to be good detectors of their heartbeats in the laboratory, they appear to att ach importance to heart symptoms in real life, resulting in a health-protec tive behaviour.