Family stress management following acute myocardial infarction: an educational and skills training intervention...

Although the experience of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a family affair, little has been available to guide stress and distress reduction efforts focusing on all members of the family compared to the somewhat larger literature addressing stress management interventions with cardiac patients. This article provides a conceptual background for a specific behavioral therapy approach to family stress management in dealing with the sequelae of AMI for all family members with the goal of reducing morbidity for all family members as they cope with ongoing survivorship issues. The family intervention program is described and its pilot implementation discussed. Evaluation of the pilot suggests that an individually tailored focus for that subset of families at higher risk for elevated persistent distress may be the most cost-effective use of such a family intervention program.