Positive interventions effectively improve the emotional state of cardiac patients. We suggest that specific modules should be included in the CRP to improve well-being.

Benefit finding (BF) is defined as the individual's perception of positive change as a result of coping with an adverse life event. The beneficial effects of BF on well-being could be because BF favors the improvement of resources like self-efficacy, social support and effective coping. The main objective of this longitudinal 8 week study was to explore, in a sample of cardiac patients (n = 51), the combined contribution of BF and these resources to the positive affect. Moreover, we wanted to check whether these resources were derived from BF or, on the contrary, these resources were antecedents of BF. Results showed that after controlling for functional capacity, only effective coping could predict the positive affect at Time 1 (β = .32, p < .05), while the BF predicted it at Time 2 (β = .23, p< .001). Only social support predicted BF (β = .26, p < .05), but not the opposite. We discussed the desirability of promoting these processes to improve the emotional state of cardiac patients.

What is already known on this subject? Negative attributional style (NAS) is an important predictor of depressive symptoms.Depressive symptoms worsen the diagnosis of coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. What does this study add? Globality dimension predicts depression in patients with CHD after controlling for functional capacity. Negative attributions contribute to the development of depression and are not a consequence of it.

This two-wave longitudinal study examines the ability of pessimistic attributional style and coping strategies to predict depressive symptoms in a sample of 99 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). After the cardiac episode, the globality dimension of this style was associated with increased depressive symptoms, and this association was mediated by the low use of effective coping strategies. Stability and globality dimensions of pessimistic attributional style could also predict depressive symptoms eight weeks later. Cardiac intervention programmes should include the treatment of these symptoms and promote effective coping strategies as well as the modification of these stable and global attributions.

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