Psychosocial recovery from a cardiac event: the influence of perceived control.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the relationship between patients' feelings of control at baseline and psychosocial recovery 6 months after their cardiac event.


METHODS
One hundred seventy-six patients who had had myocardial infarction, had undergone coronary artery bypass or both.


METHODS
In this longitudinal, comparative survey patients with high perceptions of control were compared with those with low perceptions of control at baseline to determine differences in psychosocial recovery 6 months later.


METHODS
Psychosocial recovery was operationalized as anxiety, depression, and hostility (measured by Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist) and overall psychosocial adjustment to illness (measured by Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale).


RESULTS
Significant differences were seen in psychosocial recovery between patients with feelings of high control versus those with feelings of low control (p = 0.006). Patients with feelings of high control at baseline were less anxious (p = 0.002), less depressed (p = 0.001), less hostile (p = 0.02), and had better psychosocial adjustment (p = 0.009) at a 6-month follow-up than those with feelings of low control.


CONCLUSIONS
Feelings of perceived control are important for psychosocial recovery after a cardiac event.
Moser
D K
DK
Department of Adult Health and Illness, College of Nursing, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA.
Dracup
K
K
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000523:psychology; D012803:Sick Role; D012917:Social Adjustment