ABSTRACT
Myocardial infarction [MI] is a life threatening event and often reduces the quality of life of patients and their families' particularly close and intimate persons such as spouses. The aim of study was to determine quality of marital relationship of spouses of patients with and without a history of myocardial infarction. This descriptive-comparative study has been done on 162 spouses of patients with myocardial infarction admitted in educational hospitals of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences by convenience sampling method and 162 spouses of healthy persons [324 married individuals]. Data were collected by "Perceived Relationship Quality Components [PRQC] questionnaire with approved validity and reliability in Iran. Data was analyzed with SPSS/16. 42% of the samples were male and 58% female, with an overall mean age of 47.89 +/- 5.95, average length of common life 25.32 +/- 7.48. In addition, 56.7% of the respondents had diploma or higher education. The results also illustrated that the mean score of quality of marital relationship on the dimensions of satisfaction, passion and love in patient' spouses with a history of myocardial infarction was 13.37 +/- 5.03, 10.67 +/- 4.56, 19.56 +/- 2.56 respectively and in healthy persons spouses was 18.92 +/- 2.85, 18 +/- 3.14, 20.37 +/- 1.36. U-Mann Whitney test results determine that these differences are statistically significant [P<0.001]. MI disease has a negative impact on the overall quality of marital relationship, especially on the dimensions of satisfaction, passion and love between couples. Hence, the inclusion of family educational programs and couple therapy in heart disease rehabilitation program is important in order to improve the quality of marital relationship and subsequent quality of life patients and their family's needs