Abstract
A serious illness is a severe threat to the assumptive world, sense of mastery and self-concept of the individual. The quality of life of the person with a chronic disease depends upon the degree to which the patient is able to cope with these and other major adaptive tasks confronting him. The influence of the social environment on successful adaptation and well-being has been investigated in a longitudinal study with a representative sample of male German cardiac patients (N=980). The quality of interpersonal relationships and experienced socio-emotional support were found to affect both the positive and negative dimensions of psychological well-being as defined by Bradburn (1969). Perceived health status, a pivotal variable in the adaptation process, and physical disability mainly influenced the negative dimension.
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This paper is based upon data from research undertaken in the Oldenburg Cardiac Rehabilitation Study supported by a grant from the West German Federal Ministry of Research and Technology (BMFT).
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Badura, B., Waltz, M. Social support and the quality of life following myocardial infarction. Soc Indic Res 14, 295–311 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00692986
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00692986