Studies on emotional processes in General, Personality and Health Psychology, together with psychological help demands in several Hospital Divisions, have stressed the significance of emotional antecedents and reactions with respect to health diseases. The general aim of the present study has been to underline relations between patients' psychological defence mechanisms and the street accident. The patients participating in the study were Italian women and men aged 25-65 years, who live in Como. Data analyses allow elaborating scores of Rationality/Emotionality (R/E) and Need for Harmony (N/H) defence mechanisms, according to the original construct. Moreover, statistical comparisons were carried out among subgroups of person and the appropriate control groups, accurately selected with the same general characteristics. Within all the participants, the Patients with a Malignant Tumour (n = 85) had the highest scores, on average, on both the Rationality/Emotionality Defensiveness and Need for Harmony Scales, with significant differences with respect to both Healthy Persons and Cardiovascular Patients. The latter experimental group of Patients did not differ from the appropriate Control group. For the covering abstract see ITRD E122795.
Abstract