The influence of coping styles and perceived control on emotional distress in persons at risk for a hereditary heart disease

This prospective study investigates the influence of two coping styles (monitoring and blunting) and perceived control (health loci-is of control and mastery) on emotional distress in persons at risk of a hereditary cardiac disease. Emotional distress in people at risk for a hereditary cardiac disease does not differ from the normal population, neither before nor after disclosure of the DNA-or clinical test results. Less monitoring reflects less emotional distress before the results of the DNA-test or clinical investigations are known, while a stronger feeling of mastery reflects less emotional distress both before and after the results of the tests are known. These results indicate that the negative effect of monitoring is temporary. Mastery is a more powerful predictor than health loci-is of control in this situation. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.