OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to describe the recovery trajectories for women after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS The study was designed as a prospective, comparative, longitudinal, convenience sample. METHODS The study was set in 5 West Coast major medical centers and 1 northeastern major medical center. METHODS The subjects were 76 women (81% white, 19% African American; mean age, 67.8 years) with AMI. METHODS Outcome measures were the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI), a measure of cardiac and physical functional capacity; the Profile of Mood States (POMS), a measure of mood disturbance; the Mastery instrument, a sense of mastery in one's life; and the Support Requirements Interview, a measurement of needs for social support and assistance during recovery. RESULTS Repeated measures analysis of variance results revealed that white women recovered more quickly than did African American women, with DASI scores approximately 50% better. POMS and Mastery results improved over time for both groups, with limited differences between African American and white women. At 6 weeks after AMI, age, social support, and mastery contributed significantly and predicted 42% of the variance in functional status (DASI) and 44% of the variance in mood disturbance as measured with the POMS. CONCLUSIONS African American women and white women have similar recovery trajectories in terms of psychosocial recovery from AMI but different physical recovery trajectories.