Bearing illness: Study of couples where the husband awaits coronary graft surgery

This paper reports findings from the first of a series of interviews with men treated by coronary grafting, and with their wives. Seen immediately after angiography, these couples were asked about their social and conjugal roles, attitudes to the men's illness, and changes to their circumstances. Clustering the couples on these responses yielded four groups: (A) strained relationships in which husbands who had given up work had become withdrawn but were supported by wives who had increased the burden of their responsibilities; (B) strained relationships in which husbands forced to give up outside engagements took on household duties from wives who were less concerned about their spouses' activity levels; (C) where husbands who had modified their activities, and wives who showed most concern, together made mutual adjustments in relation to the illness; (D) where husbands had experienced little need for change and, together with their wives, had largely maintained a 'normal' life. A measure of adjustment to illness showed that there were parallels between the relationship of patient to illness, and of husband to wife in each group. A theoretical proposal is offered integrating these two forms of relationship, and inferences are drawn regarding the counselling of patients and wives in the period prior to graft surgery.