PERSONALITY PATTERN OF FEMALE CARDIOVASCULAR PATIENTS AND CANCER PATIENTS: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY

The study was taken up to probe the personality pattern of female cardiovascular and cancer patients. The sample for the present study done on 225 women from Kerala, a state of India which consisted of 75 cardiovascular (cvd) patients, 75 cancer patients selected using purposive sampling technique from the various hospitals across the state and a comparative group of 75 normals selected from the general population. Cvd patients, cancer patients and normals showed significant differences in the five factors of personality. The personality pattern of the cvd patients was found to be significantly different from that of the cancer patients. Cvd patients possessed significantly more of the characteristics of extraversion and openness compared to cancer patients and normals. The cancer patients were seen to possess significantly more of the personality characteristics of agreeableness, conscientiousness and neuroticism compared to cvd patients and normals. Both the patient groups differ significantly from the normal group with regard to the five personality factors. It is hoped that the outcome of this study will lead to identify the personality factors prone to cvd and cancer in females.