Social support and physical and psychological recovery one year after myocardial infarction or coronary artery bypass surgery

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of different support factors supposed to explain physical and psychological recovery after myocardial infarction (MI) or coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS). The subjects comprised 147 MI patients and 159 CABS patients. Support factors included formal services, semi-formal assistance, and informal social support. The outcome measures used for analysis were functional activities level (Duke Activity Status Index, DASI), physical working capacity, anxiety, and depression one year after MI or CABS. In general, support factors had a limited role in this study. The patient's functional and psychological status at three months was the main determinant to recovery at one year. The outcome factors measured at three months explained 36-56% of their variance at one year, and the support factors increased the explanatory power by 0-10%. The support model employed in this study revealed that some single factors may have a positive or negative role in the recovery after MI or CABS.