The helping process in couples during recovery from heart attack: a single case study.

This single case study aimed to illustrate help-intended communication in couples, in particular how a husband and wife attempted to help each other with adjusting to the husband's recent myocardial infarction. The study employed a semi-structured communication task to gather samples of the couple's helping interactions: the couple had two conversations in which they alternated helper and discloser roles. Quantitative and qualitative data were obtained from the couple and from expert raters (observers) about their perspectives of the conversations. The observers' ratings and verbal response mode patterns indicated that the conversations were characterized by low levels of empathy and exploration of feelings and relatively high levels of helper disclosure and advice; overall, the observers found the conversations to be somewhat unhelpful. In contrast, the couple rated the conversations more positively; the 'helpful events' they identified consisted of their partner disclosing a new piece of information and giving advice. The results were discussed in terms of the unique features of helping in close relationships.