Posttraumatic Growth and Self-Care Of Patients With Myocardial Infarction: What Doesn’t Kill Will Make Me Stronger?

Aim: The study examined the effects of post-traumatic growth on self-care agency in patients who had suffered an MI. Methods: The study was conducted with 397 patients who applied to the Cardiology Clinics of a city hospital in Istanbul between March 24 and July 23, 2024. The data of the study were collected with the Patient Information Form, Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, and Self-Care Ability Scale. Results: The mean waist circumference of the patients was found to be 103.06±16.93 cm, EF (%) was 46.39±12.6, 76.8% had comorbidities, 74.1% had hypertension, 89.7% had someone who supported their care, 51.4% were doing physical activity, 70.3% had had 1 heart attack, 58.7% had 0-6 months since their last heart attack, and 59.7% had a family member who had a heart attack. The mean change in self-perception of the patients was 25.3±16.42, the mean change in philosophy of life was 11.46±7.84, the mean change in relationships with others was 10.43±8.94, the mean Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory was 47.2±31.11, and the mean self-care agency scale was 101.74±20.75. The simple linear regression analysis that was used to determine the effects of post-traumatic growth on self-care agency was found to be statistically significant (F=27.886, p