Psychosocial factors affecting adaptation of patients and spouses to myocardial infarction

Abstract

Former heart attack patients and spouses in 140 Families completed a mailed self-report questionnaire containing the Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes, the Coping and Health Inventory For Parents, three scales developed For this study measuring family process variables and demographic questions. Dependent measures were the Spielberger trait anxiety and Zung depression scales. Criteria for inclusion in the study were (a) a heart attack in the past 19 months b) married at the time of infarction and (c) ages between 30-65.

The analyses included frequency distributions, correlations between the 11 variables and depression/anxiety and stepwise regression analyses using each dependent variable For both patient and spouse. Eighty-two percent of the independent variables in the patient group were correlated with anxiety and depression at at least the p≤.01 level. Thirty-nine percent of the spouse variables were correlated at at least the p≤.01 level. Variables from each of the major factors of the Double ABCX model were included. Regression analyses for the patient population showed 7 variables contributing 63 & of the variance in predicting depression and 5 variables contributing 58% of the variance in predicting anxiety. Regression analyses for the spouse population showed 4 variables that contributed 25% of the variance in predicting depression and 4 variables that contributed 32% of the variance in predicting anxiety.

The results were discussed in reference to the use of these measures in further theory development and in clinical settings. Implications for further research are presented.