Nurses are in a key position to assist people through negative events. The process of searching for meaning provides a solid foundation for the development of nursing interventions to assist individuals through difficult times. Research is needed to develop nursing interventions based on the process of the search for meaning, as well as measures reflective of the search for meaning.

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In light of the minimal follow-up care that cardiovascular patients typically receive and the few patients who enter cardiac rehabilitation programs, it is evident that these patients need more support resources to improve their health outcomes. A better understanding is needed of the basic support processes that occur after a cardiac event so that the different sources and types of support can be tapped for the desired outcome. This article highlights the research findings on social support for cardiovascular patients in light of various theoretical perspectives and provides implications for practice and future research.

The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of a new measure, the Meaning in Heart Disease instrument (MHD), in persons who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Within 1 year of PCI, 232 persons completed the MHD and construct validity measures (SF-36v2, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Study aims were examined using reliability analysis, factor analysis, and correlations. After factor analysis, four scales reflecting the theoretical concepts central to the conceptual framework of the instrument emerged--Disrupted Meaning (alpha = .93), Refocusing Global Meaning (alpha = .92), Searching for Answers (alpha = .82), and Ignoring Heart Disease (alpha = .77). Convergent and divergent validity was supported, in part, for all scales. The MHD had strong support for its validity and will be useful in testing nursing interventions aimed at helping individuals integrate heart disease into the life experience.

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in the search for meaning and functional status (psychological and physical) between persons who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention and have recurrent angina symptoms and those who do not have recurrent symptoms. Participants (224; 147 male, 77 female) who underwent PCI completed the following study materials: Meaning in Heart Disease instrument, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and SF36v2™. Persons with recurrent angina symptoms (40% of the sample) were more likely to have higher disrupted meaning, greater anxiety, greater depression, lower physical functioning, and greater use of meaning-based coping (searching for answers and refocusing global meaning) compared with individuals without recurrent symptoms. Interventions are needed to identify the risk of recurrent symptoms after percutaneous coronary intervention and provide coping and cognitive behavioral interventions focused on managing the psychological and physical disruptions.