Measurement of stress amongst working adults with cardiovascular disease

Psychosocial adaptation profiles in young and middle-aged patients with acute myocardial infarction: a latent profile analysis

AIMS

We sought to explore the latent classifications of psychosocial adaptation in young and middle-aged patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and analyse the characteristics of different profiles of AMI patients.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A cross-sectional study was performed in 438 Chinese young and middle-aged patients with AMI. The investigation time was 1 month after discharge. Three different self-report instruments were distributed to the participants, including the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Social Support Rating Scale. The seven dimensions of the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale were then used to perform a latent profile analysis. All participants signed informed consent forms in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Finally, a total of 411 young and middle-aged AMI patients were enrolled. Three distinct profiles were identified, including the 'well-adapted group' (44.8%), 'highlight in psychological burdens group' (25.5%), and 'poorly adapted group' (29.7%). The influencing factors included stress perception, social support, occupational type, and marital status (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The psychosocial adaptation of young and middle-aged AMI patients can be divided into three profiles. Clinical nurses can carry out individualized psychological interventions according to the characteristics of patients in different potential profiles to improve the psychosocial adaptation of patients and the prognosis of their disease.

Perceived Stress in Relation to Demographics and Clinical Forms among Patients with Infective Endocarditis: A Cross-Sectional Study

(1) Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a disease of the endocardial surface of the heart, caused by infection of the native or prosthetic valve or an indwelling cardiac device. Apart from IE predisposing risk factors that include heart conditions and medical procedures, the novel trajectories from demographic factors to perceived stress conditions have been under investigation in recent years. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the associations between perceived stress and demographic characteristics as well as clinical forms of IE among survivors of IE in Kaunas, Lithuania. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study among IE cases (n = 135) at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics Cardiology department during the period 2014-2017 was performed. Data about IE clinical features, sociodemographic characteristics and perceived stress level (Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10)) upon diagnosis were collected. Package "SPSS 25.0" was used in the statistical analysis. Logistic regression analysis was performed including gender, previous occupation, place of residence and clinical forms of IE in the analysis of perceived stress among survivors of IE. The STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies was used in this study. (3) Results: Perceived stress was experienced by 54.8 percent of the respondents. In the final model, the OR (odds ratio) of perceived stress for females was 2.07 as compared to men; for rural residents, the OR was 2.25 as compared to urban residents. These results were statistically significant. A tendency for increased OR of perceived stress for low-skilled workers as compared to high-skilled ones and classical IE clinical form as compared to non-classical form was observed, but these results were not statistically significant. (4) Conclusions: The present study is an attempt to focus the attention of IE researchers on the effects of psychological state in the disease development. Differences in perceived stress and some demographic characteristics, as well as tendencies of IE clinical forms, were observed among survivors of IE in Kaunas, Lithuania.