title: Coping strategies, life style changes, and pessimism after open-heart surgery.
abstract: A mail questionnaire was completed by 171 patients two to 20 months after undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). The post-CABG period was characterized by fewer working hours, a higher level of physical exercise, a reduction in smoking, and more appropriate nutritional habits, compared with the preoperation period. At the same time, the anxiety level of post-CABG patients was higher than that measured in a community sample. Post-CABG high psychological distress (anxiety and mood states) and low functional capacity were associated with high levels of pessimism and ineffective emotion-focused coping strategies. These results may be used by social workers in devising psychological interventions aimed at improving post-CABG patients' quality of life and bolstering their coping strategies.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, Ray D. Wolfe Centre for Study of Psychological Stress, University of Haifa, Israel. RPPS302@UVM.HAIFA.AC.IL
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ben-Zur
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rappaport
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ammar
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Uretzky
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires