Relationships among knowledge, perception, treatment-seeking behavior, time-to-treatment and psychological distress in women with first time acute myocardial infarction.
Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: By Hanem F. Mohamed Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality among women in the United States. Women are more likely to perceive their symptoms as less serious than men and they are less likely to seek treatment when these symptoms occur. Hence, their help seeking behavior might be delayed; a poor health outcome is one consequence. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between knowledge of AMI risk factors and symptoms and perceptions of their symptoms seriousness, describe the relationships among knowledge of AMI risk factors and symptoms, perception of symptoms seriousness, treatment-seeking behavior, and time-to-treatment in women with first time AMIs, and to examine the direct and indirect effects of knowledge of AMI risk factors and symptoms, perception of symptoms seriousness, treatment-seeking behavior and time-to-treatment on psychological distress for women with first time AMIs. Based on Leventhal’s Self-Regulation Theory, a correlational cross-sectional design with path analysis was used. A convenience sample of 53 hospitalized women (mean age 60.3 years, SD, 13.7) with first time AMIs participated in face-to-face interviews after they were physiologically stable. Results showed that median time-to-treatment was three hours. One third of the participants perceived their symptoms as serious and one third perceived their symptoms as not at all serious. In addition, 67% of the participants used self-medication strategies to cope with their symptoms. The majority of women had high knowledge regarding typical risk factors and symptoms associated with AMI, and reported low knowledge regarding gender-specific risk factors and atypical symptoms of AMI. Regression analysis revealed that knowledge of AMI symptoms mostly predicted perception of symptoms seriousness. Controlling for education, race, marital status, type of treatment, and perception of severity of AMI, path analysis indicated that treatment-seeking behavior (avoidance), knowledge of AMI symptoms and perception of symptom seriousness had the most direct, indirect and total effect on tension/anxiety. In addition, time-to-treatment had a negative direct effect on tension/anxiety. Based on the findings from this study, recommendations for nursing practice, theory, and future research were articulated.
Author: Hanem F. Mohamed
Institution: Case Western Reserve University
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2249621531