Rehabilitation Potential of Personality in Various Chronic Conditions

Abstract

The paper presents data on general level and expression of components of rehabilitation potential of per¬sonality in such chronic conditions as gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases, cancer, HIV/AIDS. It is stated that rehabilitation potential is closely connected with some other personality resources that promote a better rehabilitation and readaptation of patients, e.g. existential fulfillment, optimism, activity, vitality. The paper describes features of rehabilitation potential (in particular, its component — the inner picture of disease) and of several personality dispositions observed in various chronic conditions. As it was revealed, personality resources are most evident in young and middle-aged individuals with gastrointestinal diseases and least evi¬dent in their peers living with HIV/AIDS. Also, a correlation was found between the decrease of personality potential and chemical addiction in persons with HIV/AIDS. Finally, the paper describes a special technique that was developed by the authors in order to define the general index of rehabilitation potential and those of its components — motivational, emotional, self-evaluative communicative components and the inner picture of disease.