Study from IU Nursing sheds light on stress of second heart attack

INDIANAPOLIS — As the month of February winds down, so does Heart Health month. But before it ends, a researcher from IU’s School of Nursing in Indianapolis is working to provide more information about the impacts of stress in heart attack survivors.

“I think sometimes in healthcare we forget that there is life after survival and we need to focus on that period as well as the acute phase that someone is trying to survive,” said Sarah Zvonar, a post-doctoral fellow at the IU School of Nursing and lead author of this study.

The American Heart Association said it is widely known that survivors of heart attacks may experience depression or anxiety. However, it said less attention is given to the impact of psychological stress and how the fear of another heart attack may impact someone’s recovery.

The researchers examined 171 people who had heart attacks between 2021 and 2022. The survivors were asked to complete a questionnaire twice, about six and eight months after their heart attack.

The study found the fear of experiencing another heart attack significantly impacted the person’s perception of illness and their level of perceived stress. It found that fear was still significant at both the six-month and eight-month markers. It also found controlling for depression and anxiety did not reduce that fear.

Zvonar explained how this stress can impact people in their heart attack recovery.

“People when they feel stressed, they might not be as engaged in their care,” she said. “They may not want to do things that they should do, such as exercising and eating right and doing these stress relieving activities that would help them through and actually ultimately help them recover better from this heart attack.”

She said they also found that younger people who survived a heart attack tend to have more fear about having another one. The AHA finds the average age for a first heart attack in the U.S. is 65.5 years for men and 72 years for women.

This research is personal for her.

“As a cardiac nurse and with my loved ones who have had heart attacks and surviving heart attacks, doing this research is really important to me so that I can help them live their lives the best way they can going forward,” she said.

Zvonar said talking to someone about your stress or fears is a great place to start, as well as focusing on small steps to be heart-healthy.

“People should really look at what are those heart healthy strategies that they can do this month,” she said. “Even small steps will help make a big impact.”

AHA suggests balancing calories with physical activity, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, cutting down on salt and limiting alcohol are things you can do to be heart healthy.

Click here to read more about Zvonar’s research.

Chelsea Helms with CBS4 is a Woman of Impact for AHA this year. Click here to donate to her page and help her raise $10,000 for the Go Red for Women campaign.