GOING IT ALONE - WOMEN MANAGING RECOVERY FROM ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

The personal and financial toll exacted by recovery from myocardial in farction (MI) once women are released from the hospital has not been s ystematically studied. Life-span development influences on women's ada ptation to heart disease are used as a theoretical framework to explor e the adaptation process. A convenience sample of African-American and white women (n = 41) was recruited before hospital discharge and foll owed by telephone and mail for 6 weeks. The influence of normative age -graded factors such as widowhood and the existence of comorbidities d emonstrates the importance of considering the developmental context as it relates to chronicity. History-graded determinants were apparent i n the previous lack of health promotion and health maintenance activit ies enacted by these women. The Duke Activity Status Index revealed a slower recovery trajectory in terms of return to physical activities t han is generally seen in men. Their self-reported social support needs were also higher than are expressed by men, although the most importa nt needs were met for most of the participants. Implications for healt h care professionals include awareness of different clinical presentat ion patterns of women with MI, encouragement related to physical, soci al, and sexual activity levels post-MI, and emphasis on health-restora tive and health-promoting activities such as cessation of cigarette sm oking.