Aim. The aim of current study was to assess post-traumatic growth in patients with myocardial infarction (MI).

Background. Post-traumatic growth is defined as subjective positive psychological changes following the struggle with highly challenging life events.

Method. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which 166 patients with MI, referred to the cardiac clinics in Bonab and Maragheh, were recruited by convenience sampling. Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) was used for measuring PTG. Descriptive  and inferential statistics were used by SPSS version 22 to analyze the data.

Results. The mean PTGI score of the participants was 68.39±19.40, and the most acquired score was observed in the dimension "spiritual changes". The results showed that women and patients with a history of MI within the previous 6 months acquired more score of post-traumatic growth than men (p=0.029) and patients with a history of MI before the recent 6 months (p=0.008), respectively.

Conclusion. The occurrence of MI leads to positive psychological changes as named posttraumatic growth. Nurses and care policymakers can use these findings to help patients in coping with stressful conditions.