Mediators and moderators of behavior change in patients with chronic cardiopulmonary disease: the impact of positive affect and self-affirmation

Among patients with chronic cardiopulmonary disease, increasing healthy behaviors improves outcomes, but such behavior changes are difficult for patients to make and sustain over time. This study aims to demonstrate how positive affect and self-affirmation improve health behaviors compared with a patient education control group. The patient education (PE control) patients completed a behavioral contract, promising to increase their physical activity or their medication adherence and received an educational guide. In addition to the contract and guide, the positive affect/self-affirmation intervention (PA intervention) patients also learned to use positive affect and self-affirmation to facilitate behavior change. Follow-up was identical. In 756 patients, enrolled in three randomized trials, the PA intervention resulted in increased positive affect and more success in behavior change than the PE control (p<.01). Behavior-specific self-efficacy also predicted success (p<.01). Induction of positive affect played a critical role in buffering against the adverse behavioral consequences of stress. Patients who experienced either negative psychosocial changes (p<.05) or interval negative life events (p<.05) fared better with the PA intervention than without it. The PA intervention increased self-efficacy and promoted success in behavior change by buffering stress.