Coping with acute myocardial infarction.

  • 1 July 1992
    • journal article
    • Vol. 21  (4) , 327-34
Abstract
This study examines how patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) cope. The nonrandom sample consisted of 30 acutely ill patients with AMI. Data were collected with an open-ended interview derived from cognitive coping theory and the Jalowiec Coping Scale. Interview content was analyzed with qualitative methods; data collected by use of the JCS were quantitatively examined. From the patients' appraisals emerged a unique description of coping with AMI that differed from the denial-focused description proposed by earlier investigators. In addition, patients used many and varied coping strategies during the first 3 days of illness. Among those contributing most to the total coping efforts of the group were the optimistic-, confrontive-, self-reliant-, and supportant-type strategies. Contrary to findings of earlier investigators, there was little evidence of attempts by patients with AMI to deny the existence of the illness as a means of coping.

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