The overall aim of this descriptive exploratory prospective study is to use methodological triangulation to investigate the meaning of the recovery experience of women following a myocardial infarction (MI) and to examine factors that affect their health, lifestyle, and quality of life satisfaction. The guiding research question for this study is: """"""""What are women's perceptions of the changes in their health and lifestyle as a result of having a 'heart attack' and how has this event effected their lives and life satisfaction over time?"""""""" Qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to measure the perceptions of a purposive sample of 100 women within one month after an MI and again at six, 12, 18, and 24 months.
The specific aims are to: l.) (Quantitative) describe the perceptions of these women as measured by the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), Health Promotive Lifestyle Profile II (HPLPII), and the Quality of Life after MI(QLMI) Questionnaire; 2.) (Qualitative) elicit themes and categorize indicators of: illness impact, health promotive behaviors, a sense of self-preservation, and quality of life satisfaction of these women from nurse-conducted interviews; 3.) (Combined) identify associative links and explanatory clusters between nurse-conducted interviews of these women and measures of the variables of the three tools; and 4.) (Combined) describe the similarities and differences between black and white women's recovery experiences using the themes, associative links, and explanatory clusters from the interviews and using categorized, quantified perceptions from interview data and subjects' responses to the three tools. Data analysis will be described according to the study aims.
AIMS # 1 and # 3-- Psychometric analysis will be accomplished for the three tools. Reliability, internal consistency, will be measured by the Cronbach coefficient alpha. Survival analysis using the censured approach will be used to interpret findings from repeated use of the HPLPII and the QLMI.
AIMS # 2 and # 3-- Content analysis will be used to help identify, code, and categorize the primary patterns in the interviews and in discovering emergent themes across time. Finally, associative links and explanatory clusters will be identified from the results of the interviews and the tools.
AIM #4 -- Content analysis and a one-way ANOVA will be used to analyze these data. This is the first phase of a program of research designed to fully explore the context in which women of all ages and ethnic origins live their lives after a cardiac event. Future studies will use the knowledge gained in this first investigation to identify predictors of women's responses to lifestyle choices after a cardiac event. Hypotheses will be formulated and interventions tested that are designed to assist these women to overcome barriers and facilitate successful rehabilitation. Results of these studies will assist nurses to promote comprehensive risk reduction strategies designed specifically for women.
