Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), also termed ischemic heart disease, involves the narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, typically caused by atherosclerosis—the accumulation of fatty plaques within the arterial walls. Within Health Psychology, CHD is studied as a primary psychosomatic disorder where psychological factors act as direct etiological agents or exacerbating moderators.
- Friedman and Rosenman's Type A Behavior Pattern (1959): Cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman identified a cluster of behaviors characterized by extreme competitiveness, time urgency, impatience, and hostility. Longitudinal studies, notably the Western Collaborative Group Study (WCGS), established that the hostility component—specifically cynical hostility—is the primary toxic element predicting myocardial infarction.
- Denollet's Type D Personality (2005): Johan Denollet formulated the 'Distressed Personality' type, defined by the joint presence of high negative affectivity (tendency to experience gloomy emotions) and high social inhibition (tendency to inhibit expression of emotions in social interactions). Type D individuals show significantly elevated risk for poor prognosis post-MI.
- Biopsychosocial Model: Pioneered by George Engel (1977), this model posits that CHD cannot be understood solely through biomedical parameters; biological vulnerability interacts dynamically with psychological appraisal styles and sociocultural stressors.