ArticleBMJ open2020
Learning a new way of living together: a qualitative study exploring the relationship changes and intervention needs of patients with cardiovascular disease and their partners.
Article in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Patient Needs Regarding Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Ethnographic Synthesis.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2025Pooled it
- Care Needs of Patients With Chronic Cardiovascular Diseases: An Integrative Review.Health science reports · 2026Review
- Psychological distress among family caregivers of patients with cardiovascular disease.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2026Article
- A dyadic perspective on disease coping experiences and support needs in chronic heart failure patients and informal caregivers: a qualitative meta-synthesis.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
- Development of a guided internet-based psychological intervention for patients with ischemic heart disease and comorbid anxiety and/or depression: A patient and public involvement study.Internet interventions · 2025Article
- Lean on me: attachment and mental health in couples facing cardiovascular disease.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Healing Hearts Together - an emotionally focused intervention for couples after a cardiac event: a randomized controlled trial protocol.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- The knowledge level and influencing factors of sarcopenia among Chinese community-dwelling older adults.PloS one · 2025Article
- Interventions for Caregivers of Heart Disease Patients in Rehabilitation: Scoping Review.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2023Article
- Intimate Relationships and Coronary Heart Disease: Implications for Risk, Prevention, and Patient Management.Current cardiology reports · 2022Review
- Attachment insecurities, caregiver burden, and psychological distress among partners of patients with heart disease.PloS one · 2022Article
- Effect of cohabiting partners on the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms after emergency department visits for stroke and transient ischemic attack.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2021Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesCardiovascular disease (CVD) not only affects the patient, but has implications for the partner. Emerging evidence suggests that supportive couple relationships enhance CVD outcomes and reduce patient and partner distress. To date, however, little research has been done to address the couple relationship as a potentially important component of cardiac care. This article examines the impact of CVD on the couple relationship and assesses the perceived needs and desired intervention components of patients with CVD and their partners.
designQualitative study using directed and conventional content analysis.
settingSingle-centre, tertiary cardiac care hospital that serves a population of 1.4 million in the Champlain region of Ontario, Canada.
participantsPatients with CVD and their partners (n=32, 16 couples) participated in focus groups. Patients were mainly male (75%), white (87.5%), aged 64.4 years (range 31-81 years), with varied cardiac diagnoses (50% coronary artery disease; 18.75% valve disease; 18.75% heart failure; 12.5% arrhythmia).
resultsFive categories were generated from the data reflecting changes within the couple relationship as a result of CVD: (1) emotional and communication disconnection; (2) overprotection of the patient; (3) role changes; (4) adjustment to lifestyle changes; and (5) positive relationship changes. Three categories were constructed regarding intervention needs and desired resources: (1) practical resources; (2) sharing with peers; and (3) relationship enhancement.
conclusionsOverall, the data suggest that there were profound changes in the couple relationship as a result of CVD, and that there is considerable need to better support the caregiving spouses and the couple as a unit. These results call for interventions designed to provide instrumental support, peer-sharing opportunities and relationship quality enhancement to help couples cope with CVD. Future studies should examine whether couples-based programming embedded into cardiac rehabilitation can be effective at improving relationship quality and reducing patient and partner stress in the aftermath of a cardiac event.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.