title: Positive Psychology Interventions for Patients With Heart Disease: A Preliminary Randomized Trial.
abstract: Positive psychologic characteristics have been linked to superior cardiac outcomes.
  
  
  
  Accordingly, in this exploratory study, we assessed positive psychology interventions in patients who had recently undergone a procedure to treat cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  
  Participants were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 3 different 6-week face-to-face interventions or a wait-list control condition. We assessed intervention feasibility and compared changes in psychologic outcome measures postintervention (7wk) and at follow-up (15wk) between intervention and control participants. Across the interventions, 74% of assigned sessions were completed.
  
  
  
  When comparing outcomes between interventions and control participants (N = 55 total), there were no between-group differences post-intervention, but at follow-up intervention participants had greater improvements in happiness (β = 14.43, 95% CI: 8.66-20.2, p < 0.001), depression (β = -3.87, 95% CI: -7.72 to 0.02, p = 0.049), and hope (β = 7.12, 95% CI: 1.25-13.00, p =0.017), with moderate-large effect sizes. Efficacy of the 3 interventions was similar.
  
  
  
  Future studies are needed to identify an optimal positive psychology intervention for cardiac patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Gholam Reza
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Nikrahan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University of Borujen, Borujen, Iran (GRN); Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Suarez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asgari
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University of Borujen, Borujen, Iran (GRN); Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Scott R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Beach
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University of Borujen, Borujen, Iran (GRN); Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Celano
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kalantari
authors.affiliation: Department of Consulting, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Abedi
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Najafabad Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Etesampour
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Rezaei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University of Borujen, Borujen, Iran (GRN); Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address: jhuffman@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Jeff C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Huffman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D065026:Hope; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000067656:Optimism / Q000523:psychology*; D062645:Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; D014850:Waiting Lists
keywords: coronary artery bypass graft; coronary artery disease; depression; heart disease; optimism; positive psychology