Abstract

CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY ASSESSING FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PERCEIVED DENIAL AMONG POST-MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION SURVIVORS IN A MALAYSIAN CARDIAC HEALTH FACILITY

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with perceived denial among post-myocardial infarction (post-MI) survivors in Malaysia. Methods: This descriptive-analytical single-hospital cross-sectional study was conducted between July and September 2016 among 201 post-MI survivors aged between 24 and 96 years old at the outpatient cardiac clinic in a Malaysian public hospital. A self-administered questionnaire that consisted of the validated 8-items Verbal Denial of Myocardial Infarction Questionnaire, and items on socio-demographic, health attributes and social support characteristics based on the OSLO-3 Social Support Scale (OSS-3) was utilized. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. Results: The average total score of perceived denial in post-MI survivors was 22.1 (SD ± 6.1) and ranged between 8 and 37. At multivariate level, greater denial score was more prevalent in singles, those with time-to-event of ≤ 1 year, those sustained arrhythmias, those who perceived good health, and those received a lot of other people’s concern. These associations were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Perceived denial was significantly associated with socio-demographics, health attributes and social support in post-MI survivors. Early screening is crucial to prompt primary caregivers to initiate potential coping mechanisms for better prognosis and improved quality of life.