The effects of physical exercise training and cardiac education on levels of anxiety and depression in the rehabilitation of coronary artery bypass graft patients.
OBJECTIVE
to evaluate whether an exercise and education-based rehabilitation programme is sufficient treatment for individuals with clinically significant levels of anxiety or depression following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.


METHODS
follow-up and repeated assessment after surgery.


METHODS
outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programme.


METHODS
all 88 attenders after CABG surgery.


METHODS
structured interview and Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale (using 8 as the cut-off) administered by rehabilitation nurses at start of course and HAD repeated at 12 weeks and 6 and 12 months (by post after discharge).


RESULTS
return rates of 76 and 80% at 6- and 12-month assessments, respectively; statistically significant reductions in levels of anxiety and depression found between first and all subsequent assessments; subdividing into groups revealed significant reduction in anxiety and depression in the anxious and depressed groups at 12 weeks and 6 months, respectively, but at 12 months there was no significant reduction.


CONCLUSIONS
there is a need to address the problems of anxiety and depression directly by screening and treatment, and to provide more psychologically-orientated cardiac rehabilitation programmes.
O'Rourke
A
A
Astley Ainslie Hospital, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Lewin
B
B
Whitecross
S
S
Pacey
W
W
D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013997:Time Factors