Abstract
Background: Avoidance behavior may be significantly associated with health status in cardiovascular disease. This study was conducted to qualitatively examine avoidance behavior in cardiovascular disease.
Methods: Data for this qualitative study were collected using a semi-structured in-depth interview developed by the researcher. The study population consisted of patients with cardiovascular disease from Baqiyatallah Hospital in 2020. The research sample included 12 individuals who were selected by purposive sampling method until saturation was reached. The data were analyzed using the content analysis approach and analyzed according to the method of Graneheim & Lundman (2004).
Results: Qualitative analysis of participants' lived experience revealed four main categories: Behavioral Avoidance, Cognitive Avoidance, Emotional Avoidance, and Supportive Avoidance. The results of this study included 2 behavioral avoidance themes (escape, behavior replacement), 7 cognitive avoidance themes (positive referencing, spiritual support, jokes, denial, thought replacement, ignoring, and positive referencing), 2 emotional avoidance themes (catharsis and physical relaxation), and 2 supportive avoidance themes (reference to others and procrastination).
Conclusions: Avoidance is a short-term strategy for coping with feelings and thoughts and can be viewed as a self-defense strategy to avoid catastrophic consequences.
Keywords: Avoidance, Cardiovascular disease, Qualitative Study