Zhu Cenjing, Arakaki Andrew, Pan Alisia, Danvers Karina, Barbardo Andrea, Wyatt Janan, Wright Catherine X, Wright Donald S, Pilote Louise, Raparelli Valeria, Monin Joan K, Oettingen Gabriele, Dreyer Rachel P, Pavlo Anthony J
Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2025 Sep 9;20(9):e0298798. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298798. eCollection 2025.
Rates of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) morbidity and mortality have increased in young women aged ≤55 years but little is known about their experience recovering from and living with AMI. A personal recovery (experience of an identity shift manifested in both losses and gains) has been reported among general AMI survivors. Our objective was to gain insights into young women's perspectives on long-term post-AMI recovery, under the patient-centered personal recovery framework.
The study used a participatory, phenomenological approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 young women (18-55 years at the time of their AMI) who were readmitted within the first year post-AMI; these were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed in collaboration with two women with lived experience of AMI. Study findings revealed that young women's experience did not deviate largely from the personal recovery framework from the general AMI survivors (i.e., an identity shift manifested with both losses and gains). However, certain aspects in the psychosocial domain were highlighted and further articulated to address young women's experience. Specifically, within the three categories of the personal recovery framework, two of which (i.e., loss, and gain) can be further classified, eight themes were identified around the topics of loss of safety and security, self-worth, social roles, (both the loss and gain of) hope and optimism, and gain of connection, strategies to manage emotions, and meaning and purpose.
Findings validated the utility of personal recovery framework in capturing the experience of young women with AMI, and highlighted themes that address young women's distinguished ways of meaning-making, which anchors around social roles and personal identity. Identifying opportunities to improve awareness of self-care and facilitating social support for young women after AMI represents important targets for future intervention.
年龄≤55岁的年轻女性急性心肌梗死（AMI）的发病率和死亡率有所上升，但对于她们从AMI中恢复及与之共存的经历知之甚少。据报道，一般AMI幸存者存在个人康复（一种在失去和获得中体现的身份转变经历）。我们的目标是在以患者为中心的个人康复框架下，深入了解年轻女性对AMI后长期康复的看法。
本研究采用参与式现象学方法。对18名年轻女性（AMI发生时年龄为18 - 55岁）进行了深入访谈，这些女性在AMI后第一年内再次入院；访谈进行了录音，逐字转录，并与两名有AMI亲身经历的女性合作进行分析。研究结果表明，年轻女性的经历与一般AMI幸存者的个人康复框架并无太大差异（即身份转变体现在失去和获得两方面）。然而，心理社会领域的某些方面得到了突出强调并进一步阐述，以契合年轻女性的经历。具体而言，在个人康复框架的三个类别中，其中两个类别（即失去和获得）可进一步细分，围绕安全与保障的丧失、自我价值、社会角色、希望与乐观（包括丧失和获得）、联系的获得、情绪管理策略以及意义和目的等主题，共确定了八个主题。
研究结果验证了个人康复框架在捕捉年轻AMI女性经历方面的实用性，并突出了围绕社会角色和个人身份的、体现年轻女性独特意义构建方式的主题。识别提高自我护理意识的机会并为AMI后的年轻女性提供社会支持，是未来干预的重要目标。
