Dispositional and Social‐cognitive Resources of Resilience, Lifestyle, and Well‐being. An Empirical Study Among Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients

Psychological resilience is the ability to develop oneself successfully despite adverse circumstances. Its protective role in relation to cardiovascular diseases is still understudied. Aim of this study is to investigate the predictive role of dispositional and social-cognitive resilience resources, namely General Self-Efficacy, Optimism, Self-Esteem, Diseasespecific Self-Efficacy and Sense of Coherence, in respect to lifestyle changes and wellbeing in patients at their first Acute Coronary Syndrome. Two-hundred and seventy-five patients (84.0% men; mean age=57.5, SD=7.9) were enrolled. Variables were assessed two times (baseline and 6-month follow-up). Path analysis using latent change models showed a significant effect of Self-esteem, Disease-Specific Self-Efficacy, and Sense of Coherence on lifestyle; moreover, DiseaseSpecific Self-Efficacy and Sense of Coherence predicted lifestyle improvement after ACS and patients’ well-being. Findings have relevant practical and clinical implications, because they underline the importance of working on resilience factors to promote lifestyle changes and well-being in cardiovascular patients.