First-stroke recovery process: the role of family social support.

Objective: To determine the role of family social support in three stroke rehabilitation variables (functional status, depression, social status) during a 6-month recovery period.

Design: Assessment of first-stroke patients' functional status, depression, and social status before discharge and at 1, 3, and 6 months after stroke onset, in comparison with the amount of family social support received. The family social support scale--compliance, instrumental, and emotional support--was employed in the first month.

Pain intensity in nondiabetic patients with myocardial infarction or unstable angina. Its association with clinical and psychological features.

Sixty nondiabetic coronary artery disease (CAD) patients submitted to coronary angiography were asked to rate (score 0 to 20) pain intensity (RPI) during their last major anginal episode having occurred prior to coronary angiography. This parameter was examined in relation to other variables of CAD and to psychological features. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that RPI was not related to New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification of angina or to angiographic variables.

Autonomic nervous system responses to personal stressful events in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Preliminary results.

Background: Life events specific for each individual may influence the onset of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and we wondered whether recall of such events elicits autonomic nervous system responses in patients.

Methods: Thirty-one subjects with AMI, which occurred about 1 month previously (study group), and 22 healthy subjects were interviewed. Whenever the presence of a stressful event was found within the last 2 months before AMI onset, a key phrase of the event was isolated.

Effects of group psychosocial intervention on coronary risk factors.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a psychosocial intervention approach aimed at resolving psychological conflicts could reduce the severity of risk factors for post-acute myocardial infarction patients. Twenty-three patients with a recent myocardial infarction participated in a group psychosocial intervention program which lasted 1 year. Twenty other patients with recent myocardial infarction served as controls.