Vocational adjustment after first myocardial infarction; Comparative assessment of several variables suggested in the literature

The patient's perception of his health status, social class, and sense of control over his fate predict return to work, while only amount ofweekly work involvement before the attack and the perceived pressures from significant others predict amount of weekly work involvement 6 months after the attack.

Abstract

During the past 20 years, many factors have been identified as determinants of returning to work after myocardial infarction. The literature is reviewed and a variety of supposed predictors are tested simultaneously on 58 first heart attack patients. The patient's perception of his health status, social class, and sense of control over his fate predict return to work, while only amount of weekly work involvement before the attack and the perceived pressures from significant others predict amount of weekly work involvement 6 months after the attack. The findings are discussed in relation to strategies for improving post-attack vocational adjustment.