Family support, living alone, and subjective health of a patient in connection with a coronary artery bypass surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The study's objective was to evaluate the connections among family support, living alone, and subjective health after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS).

DESIGN: This was a prospective and comparative follow-up study.

SETTING: The study took place in surgical clinics in two university hospitals in Finland.

PATIENTS: A total of 279 patients underwent CABS. The sample comprised consecutive patients who were willing to participate.

INTERVENTION: The patients were asked to evaluate their subjective health before surgery (initial phase) and 6 months after surgery (follow-up phase).

OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome was measured by the Chest Pain and Dyspnea Scale, Modified Beck Depression Inventory, Endler Anxiety Scale, Family Support Scale, and Hopelessness items.

RESULTS: Subjective health improved significantly after CABS. Those who had lower family support before surgery had more depressive symptoms, anxiety, and hopelessness than those who had more support. In the group with low family support, the subjective health of women was poorer than that of men, and those who had no vocational education described poorer health than others. In the group with high family support, those who had no vocational education had more chest pain and dyspnea than others. Patients who were living alone had initially more depressive symptoms and hopelessness compared with patients living with someone. At follow-up, those living alone reported more chest pain and depressive symptoms than those living with someone. Patients aged less than 65 years and living alone reported more depressive symptoms, anxiety, and hopelessness than the oldest age group during the follow-up. In those patients living with someone, the subjective health of female patients, patients aged less than 65 years, and patients who had no vocational education was poorer than others.

CONCLUSIONS: High family support seemed to protect health and promote recovery. In nursing it is important to take care of those who receive only limited amount of family support or who live alone. These results suggest that women, patients aged less than 65 years, and patients with no vocational education may need additional support and care.