Resilience in Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease

Background:

Resilience is a psychosocial factor associated with clinical outcomes in chronic diseases. The relationship between this protective factor and certain diseases, such heart diseases, is still under-explored.

Objective:

The present study sought to investigate the frequency of resilience in individuals with ischemic heart disease.

Method:

This was a cross-sectional study with 133 patients of both genders, aged between 35 and 65 years, treated at Rio Grande do Sul Cardiology Institute – Cardiology University Foundation, with a diagnosis of ischemic heart disease during the study period. Sixty-seven patients had a history of acute myocardial infarction. The individuals were interviewed and evaluated by the Wagnild & Young resilience scale and a sociodemographic questionnaire.

Results:

Eighty-one percent of patients were classified as resilient according to the scale.

Conclusion:

In the sample studied, resilience was identified in high proportion among patients with ischemic heart disease.