Factors associated with posttraumatic growth among myocardial infarction patients: perceived social support, perception of the event and coping.

Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) is accepted as positive transformations that are a product of struggling with significant stressors such as chronic illness. A model, conceptualized by Schaefer and Moos (Posttraumatic growth: Positive changes in the aftermath of crisis, pp 99-126, 1998), suggests a relative contribution of environmental and individual resources, perception of the event (PE) and coping in the development of PTG. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of perceived social support (PSS), PE and coping on PTG. This model was tested in a sample of patients with myocardial infarction (MIP, N=148) from various hospitals in Turkey. The structural equation analysis of the model revealed that PSS was significantly related to PTG through the effect of coping. While coping was significantly and directly related to PTG, PE was not. The findings are discussed in the context of the theoretical model with suggestions for future research.