EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS AMONG CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE PATIENTS WITH TYPE D PERSONALITY

Modifiable risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, inactivity, unhealthy diet and smoking increase the risk of developing and maintaining Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). As CAD is incurable, patients who have undergone intervention need to manage risk factors to prevent progression, rehospitalisation and cardiac complications. Personality and Emotional Intelligence influence the way risk factors are addressed by patients.  Type D personality is associated with negative expectations from self and others and discomfort in social situations resulting in challenges managing modifiable risk factors .In recent times mixed research methods have gained prominence due to focus on subjective commonalities of experience and objective quantitative measures. The DS 14 scale was used to identify Type D CAD patients.  The present study used semi structured interviews to explore the experiences of CAD patients with Type D personality who had undergone cardiac intervention .Quantitative investigation focused on finding the relationship between Type D personality, Emotional Intelligence and modifiable risk factors in these patients. EEA was administered along with information about demographic details and modifiable risk factors .The results indicated presence of distress, restriction adjustment, perceived social support and spirituality. Negative affectivity(NA) was significantly negatively related to self-awareness (r= -.259 , p<.05), self-control (r= -.294, p<.05), empathy (r= -.280, p< .05) and overall Emotional Intelligence (r= -.288, p<05 ).Significant negative correlation was also found between NA and exercise (r= -.247, p<.05), Type D personality and self-control (r= -.234, p<.05)  empathy and hypertension (r= -.222, p<.05). A significant positive correlation was obtained between diabetes and smoking (r= .267, p<.05).Overall NA (trait in Type D personality) was a stronger predictor of  poor Emotional Intelligence .Step wise multiple regression indicated self-control as a predictor variable which explained 9% of the variance in  negative affectivity .