Psychological assessment of patients in cardiac rehabilitation

Several studies showed that illness perceptions have associations with important outcomes (treatment adherence and functional recovery) in chronic illness (Petrie, Jago, Devcich, 2007). Aim of this study was to investigate relationships among anxiety, depression, stress, coping strategies, subjective well-being, self-efficacy beliefs in managing rehabilitation and illness perception in patients affected by cardiovascular diseases. The study involved 50 patients with cardiovascular diseases (mean age=70.03; SD=9.21). All participants were contacted in the hospital during a two weeks cardiovascular rehabilitation period. Validated and well-known self-report questionnaires were administered individually, at the beginning a rehabilitation, for measuring anxiety, depression, stress of illness, coping strategies, self-esteem, optimism, lifesatisfaction, self-efficacy beliefs in managing rehabilitation. Questionnaire for illness perception were administered at the end of rehabilitation. Pearson’s correlation showed that the illness perception dimensions of identity, consequences and timeline were significantly correlated with stress of illness, anxiety, depression, non-adaptive coping strategies, selfesteem and life satisfaction; the dimensions of cure-control and compressibility were correlated with adaptive coping strategies and self-efficacy beliefs in managing rehabilitation. Linear regression analyses showed that self-efficacy beliefs in managing rehabilitation and coping strategies predict good illness perception. Findings underlined the importance to work on efficacy beliefs and coping strategies in patients with cardiovascular diseases.