Anadolu Psikiyatri Dergisi, cilt.16, sa.4, ss.276-283, 2015 (SCI-Expanded)
Objective: Changes in health status and psychopathology can cause alterations in some personality traits. The aim of this study is to search the change of major personality characteristics, anxiety and depression levels before and after coronary angiography application in the patients who were undergone elective diagnostic coronary angiography first time in their life. Methods: Thirty four male and 22 female who admitted to cardiology policlinic due to chest pain and in whom elective diagnostic coronary angiography was indicated were included in the study. To these patients, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Form (EPQ-RSF) were applied just before and two weeks after the coronary angiography test. Obtained data in points before and after angiography were compared statistically. Results: Fifty six patients were included, 22 of them were female. 26 of all didn’t have any pathology which necessiated medical treatent while 30 patients were diagnosed to have coronary artery disease (CAD). The preangiograpfy points of the patients without coronary artery disease (n=26) from HADS anxiety subquestionnaire and EPQ-RSF neuroticism subquestionnaire were found to be statistically higher than those of the patients with coronary artery disease (n=30) while points from EPQ-RSF extraversion subquestionnaire were statistically higher in patients with CAD. In respect to the questionnaire given two weeks after coronary angiography; EPQ-RSF extraversion subquestionnaire points of the patients without CAD were statitically higher while HADS anxiety subquestionnaire and EPQ-RSF neuroticism subquestionnaire points of the patients with CAD were found to be statitically higher compared to the other group. Conclusion: According to the results obtained, the complaints of significant number of patients undergone coronary angiography were composed of psychosomatically originated psychopathologies in reality. And also this study showed that psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression increased together with appearence of neurotic personality traits when the people learned impairement in their health status.