AN EXPLORATORY PROFILE OF STRESSFUL EVENTS AND PERCEIVED STRESS IN PATIENTS WITH MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION: A DESCRIPTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
Main Article Content
Keywords
Myocardial Infarction, Psychosocial Stress, Type A Personality, Risk Factors, Cross-Sectional Studies, Pakistan.
Abstract
Background:
Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the leading causes of global mortality. In spite of the fact that the traditional factors of risk are clearly outlined, the role of the psychosocial stress is only gaining respect, but its nature among certain population groups, in particular, among the South Asian ones, remains under-researched.
Objective: This study aimed at outlining the frequency and trends of stressful experiences, perceived stress levels, and work-related experiences amongst a group of patients who presented with acute myocardial infarction in a tertiary cardiac unit in Pakistan.
Methodology: The study was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted between March and September 2021 in the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology. Two hundred and fourteen successive patients who were confirmed with acute myocardial infarction were enrolled. The information on sociodemographics, clinical features, the type of myocardial infarction, and stressors (assessed with the help of individual, clinically-oriented questions) was collected with the help of structured interviews and review of medical records. The statistics were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests.
Findings: The cohort of the study (N=214) was mostly male (81.8), and their ages ranged between 51 and 70 years (54.2), with large percentage having no formal education (42.6). The most common comorbidity was hypertension with 55.6 followed by diabetes mellitus with 33.6. The most common type was the anterior wall myocardial infarction which was found to be 49.1 percent of the cases. With regard to stress, 35.4% of patients were experiencing major stress, and 22.9% had at least one major stressful event in the past year, work-related stress was experienced by 14.5% of patients and general stress was experienced by 39.3% of patients, which was associated with a Type A personality. There was significant distribution of all variables related to stress (p<0.05).
Conclusion: This paper indicates that there is a high incidence of self-reported psychosocial stress alongside the conventional risk factors among a given group of myocardial infarction patients in
Pakistan. The findings highlight the need of a holistic biopsychosocial approach to the measurement and management of cardiovascular risk in similar populations, which points to the fact that simple stress assessments may be integrated into routine clinical practices.
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Urooj Mehrban
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Superior University Lahore
Dr Qaisar khan
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Superior University Lahore
Muhammad Asif Nawaz Khan
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Superior University Lahore
Dr Musab Umair
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Superior University Lahore [email protected]
Dr. Ibad Ullah
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Superior University Lahore
Dr. Naimat Ullah
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Superior University Lahore
Muhammad Awais Ghafoor
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Superior University Lahore
