Spouses of patients with coronary heart disease had varied perceptions about its aetiology and drug treatment
Q What are the perceptions (or conceptions) of spouses of patients who have had a cardiac event regarding the causes of coronary heart disease (CHD) and effects of drug treatment?
DESIGN
Qualitative study using an empirical and inductive approach.
SETTING
Norrköping and Jönköping in southeast Sweden.
PARTICIPANTS
25 spouses (mean age 55 y, 68% women) who were living with a partner who had had a cardiac event about 1 year earlier. 18 patients had had a myocardial infarction (MI), and 19 had received revascularisation. 12 spouses were working, 2 were unemployed, 10 were retired, and 1 was a student.
METHODS
Data were collected using semistructured interviews that lasted 60–90 minutes and focused on spouses’ conceptions about 5 domains related to possible causes of CHD: physical activity, diet, stress, smoking, and drug treatment.
MAIN FINDINGS
Conceptions concerning causes of CHD. All spouses regarded physical exercise as a positive factor in the rehabilitation of patients with CHD. However, most did not mention inactivity as a cause of CHD. Some spouses identified the negative consequences of both inactivity and excessively rigorous exercise during …
