The Meaning of Life Related to Heart Disease and Its Relationship to Quality of Life After Repeat Coronary Artery Angioplasty

Abstract

PurposeFollowing angioplasty for coronary artery disease, patients may search for a new meaning of life. The purpose of this study was to determine patients' meaning of life related to heart disease and its relationship to quality of life after repeat coronary artery angioplasty.MethodsThe current descriptive-correlation study recruited 144 patients with coronary artery disease admitted to hospitals in Karaj, Iran. Data were collected using a demographics questionnaire, the Meaning in Heart Disease (MHD) instrument, and the Iranian version of the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), and were analyzed with descriptive statistics and the Pearson correlation.FindingsThere was a significant relationship between the meaning of life related to heart disease (creating illusions, changing goals, reattribution, and meaning congruence) and quality of life scores (p <.05).ConclusionThe majority of the patients undergoing repeat angioplasty used the creation of illusions to support a positive attitude toward their heart disease. Nursing interventions based on the individual patient's meaning of life can promote health and life quality.