The common connecting factor between PTSD and cardiovascular diseases lies in the disruption of the stress processing system. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in stress levels worldwide. Due to the life-threatening situation of affected risk patients, this also led to the accumulation of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). The influence of anger on cardiovascular diseases has hardly been investigated so far. The focus of this study is on anger regulation in cardiovascular risk patients. The COVID-19 pandemic is considered as an additional stressor in this study, but not as a separate entity. The hypothesis is that individuals with inward anger are more prone to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
As part of the routine examination, all patients who were hospitalized between January 1st, 2021 and May 31st, 2022 with high-risk cardiovascular diseases were included. A total of
Inwardly directed anger was more pronounced in this population than in a standard sample (+1 SD) and had a significant impact on the presence of PTSD (B = −0.72,
It can be assumed that anger and its regulation are relevant factors for both cardiac diseases and PTSD. The study results can be used for prevention, rehabilitation and therapeutic measures. However, the impact of inner anger on PTSD is theoretical and based on statistical testing. A confirmatory longitudinal study is needed to substantiate these results.