Perceived social support and psychosocial adjustment in patients with coronary heart disease

AIM: This study was performed to assess perceived social support and psychosocial adjustment in patients with coronary heart disease. METHODS: Participants were 250 patients referred to the cardiology outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Ankara, Turkey, between December 2013 and March 2014. Data were collected using a participant information form, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale-Self-Report. Data were analysed using frequencies, percentages, mean scores, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Patients' mean perceived social support scores were relatively low and patients' mean scores for psychosocial adjustment considered to be poor. Subgroups in the psychosocial adjustment and social support scales were significantly associated. CONCLUSION: This study's results indicate that patients' social support is linked to their psychosocial adjustment to coronary heart disease. As psychosocial adjustment is inhibited in patients who lack sufficient social support, sources of social support of patients should be identified and facilitated.