EART diseases are rising alarmingly among North Indians, particularly the Sikh community, concludes a study following a series of studies in the USA indicating highest coronary mortality rate among the Asians.The study comes up with revealing facts on changed lifestyles, increasing anger, anger expression styles and immigrant rootlessness in a changing life scenario with clouds of globalisation. Frustration and depression are another prominently visibly strong factors in today’s society.
The team here was headed by Prof Jitendra Mohan from the Department of Psychology in Panjab University. Dr Vijay Mahajan, director of Tagore Hospitals, Jalandhar, and Dr Meena Seghal, PU, were the main collaborators.
The sample included 150 males with cardiovascular diseases and 50 females. There were 50 normal health individuals for the study. The study will figure in an international symposium on psychology at London next year.
Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Professor Mohan said the main thrust was to discover the psychological and lifestyle correlates of coronary artery diseases in addition to the classical risk factors. The impact of modernisation, globalisation, immigrant rootlessness and certain psycho-social nutritional -health factors were the broad areas of the study.
The study also took account of biomedical parameters, including T.lipids, acid, uric acid, sugar, blood pressure and body mass. The psychological parameters included anger and anger expression, state-trait anxiety, psychological well-being, daily hassles and uplifts, and stressful life events. The study is a protocol of scientifically and professionally accepted tests.
Professor Mohan said cardiovascular disease patients were significantly higher with tendency to over-arousal, anger and aggression. Speed, impatience and hard driving in competitiveness dimensions also figured high in a changed scenario.
He said the intake of alcohol had gone up considerably. The study exploded a popular myth that women did not have heart problems. In fact, they were shown an equal scale. Lifestyle changes had also brought in several cardiovascular areas understudy systematically.
The study suggested early childhood intervention in terms of positive thinking, anger management and self-control. The study also suggested networking for cooperation and love. “Do not hesitate in consulting the experts. Take charge of your life, you have only one,” said Professor Mohan.
— Sanjeev Singh Bariana
