Resilience and lifestyle in patients with acute coronary syndromes: a prospective one-year follow-up study

The importance of healthy lifestyle and the control of modifiable risk factors are cardinal aspects of prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In recent decades, several studies have shown that the manifestation and clinical evolution of CVD are related to a range of negative and positive psychosocial aspects, but research on the contribution of positive factors to the changes in lifestyle in patients with CVD is notably absent. Aim of this study was to investigate the predictive role of resilience (i.e., perceived social support, sense of coherence, self-esteem, optimism, general and disease-specific self-efficacy), in behavioral changes in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients, especially for dietary pattern, physical activity, smoking status and alcohol consumption. Two-hundred and seventy-five patients (83.3% men; mean age=57.1, SD=8. 0) were enrolled. Psychological factors and lifestyle were assessed during three measurement points (baseline, 6month and 12-month follow-ups). Results from regression analyses showed that disease-specific self-efficacy and sense of coherence can predict lifestyle improvement after ACS. These findings underline the importance of working on resilience factors to change lifestyle in patients with CVD.