Life Events and Myocardial Infarction Revisited: The Role of Measures of Individual Impact

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that patients with MI are distinguished from persons with a less serious illness, more by subjective interpretations of the emotional impact of life events than by exposure to a surfeit of life events that purportedly representative samples of the population have judged to be inherently stressful. Life events data consisting of frequency of events in the year prior to illness onset, cumulative weights of life change and distress derived from magnitude estimation scales, and visual analogue scales assessing the individually interpreted impact of events were collected for 120 patients with unequivocal MI, and contrasted with the same data collected for 40 patients admitted to coronary care but rapidly discharged without a diagnosis of MI or other serious illness. Differences between the two groups were not evident for life event frequency, magnitude estimation scales of life change and distress, or individual impact scales of life change. Individual impact scales of emotional distress did, however, distinguish between the two groups at a statistically significant level, suggesting that patients with MI have interpreted their life event exposure in the year prior to illness onset as being particularly emotionally distressing. While there may be methodological criticism of the research strategy used in the study, it is suggested that due regard for the experiential uniqueness of life event data has strengthened the relationship between life events and MI, which would not have become apparent with the application of a more conservative research strategy.