Objective: Having close others present in the emergency department (ED) can cause patients significant distress. The present study tested the hypothesis that close others provide more negative support than non-close others as a potential explanation for this effect.Design: Participants were 493 patients evaluated for an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the ED (MAge = 62.01, SDAge = 13.55; 49.49% male) and who arrived with close others (i.e. spouse/partner, child) or non-close others (e.g. neighbour). Patients self-reported support from companions and threat perceptions (in-ED and at recall approximately three days later).Main outcome measures: Positive support (comfort, responsiveness); negative support (made patients anxious, required comforting); threat perceptions (feeling helpless, vulnerable). Results: Close (vs non-close) others provided patients with marginally more positive support, but also required more comfort, B = 0.32, p = .050, and caused patients more anxiety, B = 0.24, p = .009. Anxiety was associated with patients' Threat Perceptions: in-ED, B = 0.11, p = .002; recall, B = 0.14, p < .001; as was provision of comfort to support partners: recall, B = .06, p = .005. Conclusion: Negative support may be one mechanism underlying the association between close others and patient distress in the ED.
Objective: Having close others present in the emergency department (ED) can cause patients significant distress. The present study tested the hypothesis that close others provide more negative support than non-close others as a potential explanation for this effect.Design: Participants were 493 patients evaluated for an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the ED (MAge = 62.01, SDAge = 13.55; 49.49% male) and who arrived with close others (i.e. spouse/partner, child) or non-close others (e.g. neighbour). Patients self-reported support from companions and threat perceptions (in-ED and at recall approximately three days later).Main outcome measures: Positive support (comfort, responsiveness); negative support (made patientsanxious, required comforting); threat perceptions (feeling helpless, vulnerable). Results: Close (vs non-close) others provided patients with marginally more positive support, but also required more comfort, B = 0.32, p = .050, and caused patients more anxiety, B = 0.24, p = .009. Anxiety was associated with patients' Threat Perceptions: in-ED, B = 0.11, p = .002; recall, B = 0.14, p < .001; as was provision of comfort to support partners: recall, B = .06, p = .005. Conclusion: Negative support may be one mechanism underlying the association between close others and patient distress in the ED.
Entities:
Keywords:
Posttraumatic stress; acute coronary syndrome; close others; emergency department; social support
Authors: Keith A A Fox; Omar H Dabbous; Robert J Goldberg; Karen S Pieper; Kim A Eagle; Frans Van de Werf; Alvaro Avezum; Shaun G Goodman; Marcus D Flather; Frederick A Anderson; Christopher B Granger Journal: BMJ Date: 2006-10-10
Authors: Jeffrey Birk; Ian Kronish; Bernard Chang; Talea Cornelius; Marwah Abdalla; Joseph Schwartz; Joan Duer-Hefele; Alexandra Sullivan; Donald Edmondson Journal: Health Psychol Bull Date: 2019-01-14