title: Coronary heart disease: causes and drug treatment--spouses' conceptions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Spouses are important in the rehabilitation process of their partner after coronary heart disease event. Their knowledge and attitudes have an impact on their support to the partner concerning lifestyle changes and drug treatment after an event.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore spouses' conceptions concerning causes of coronary heart disease and drug treatment 1 year after the partner's cardiac event.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative with an empirical and inductive approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured interviews with strategically selected spouses (17 women and eight men) were taped. The transcripts were analysed within the phenomenographic framework.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Spouses' conceptions about causes of coronary heart disease and its treatment consisted of correct facts, as judged on a lay level, less elaborated conceptions and misconceptions. Among causes of coronary heart disease, the spouses were most knowledgeable about fat intake. They knew less about contributions from inactivity, stress and smoking. Ambivalent feelings were expressed about benefits vs. side effects of drugs. The treatment was conceived as necessary for the heart, but harmful for other organs. Men and women were evenly distributed in most of the derived categories. More women than men considered stress as a cause of coronary heart disease and also misconceived physical exercise to cause the disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A variation of spouses' conceptions was revealed about causes of coronary heart disease and drug treatment. There was a lack of understanding concerning important parts of cardiac rehabilitation activities. These misconceptions may have implications by influencing their partner's co-operative behaviour.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Spouses' pre-existing conceptions of coronary heart disease and its treatment should be considered in the rehabilitation process of their partner. Couples with misconceptions should be given the opportunity to increase qualitatively their knowledge starting from their point of view rather than from that of the professional perspective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Care, Division of Cardiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. anita.karner@lio.se
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kärner
authors.forename: Madeleine Abrandt
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dahlgren
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bergdahl
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015984:Causality; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000009:adverse effects; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D018579:Patient Selection; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats