Association between the Quality of Marital Relationship and Marital Stress in Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease

Background and Aims: Marital relationship is a multi-dimensional relationship, which is affected by many factors, such as psychological, individual, and social parameters. Satisfaction with a sexual relationship can cause the strength of the family, as well as both physical and mental health. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between the quality of marital relationships and marital stress in patients with ischemic heart disease. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on ۳۰۰ patients with acute coronary syndrome two months after being admitted to the Cardiac Angiography Unit at Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Qom, Iran, during ۲۰۱۶. The patients were selected using a  convenience sampling method. Moreover, the data were collected through demographic characteristics form, clinical data questionnaire, as well as marital quality, and Stockholm marital stress scales. The data were then analyzed in SPSS software (version ۱۳) through central indices, Pearson correlation test, and multiple linear regression. Results: The mean age of the patients was ۶۵.۹۵±۵.۰۶ years. Moreover, the mean values of the quality of marital relationships and marital stress were ۵۴.۳۶±۹.۴ and ۳.۵۶±۰.۰۵  respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient showed a significant negative correlation between the quality of marital relationship scores and marital stress scores (r=-۰.۷۱۸). Furthermore, the results of linear regression analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between the quality of the marital relationship and marital stress after removing the effects of intervening variables (P=۰.۰۰۱, R۲=۵۹%). Conclusion: The results showed that patients with acute coronary syndrome had favorable marital relationships and low levels of marital stress. Moreover, a reduction in marital stress improved the quality of the marital relationship. Therefore, it is recommended that nurses pay attention to education regarding marital stress management in patients with ischemic heart disease.