Prevalence of psychosocial risk factors in cardiac patients in rehabilitation

Abstract

The promotion of multidisciplinary prevention programs and advances in cardiac intervention have improved the prognosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD), although it continues to be the leading cause of death in middle-aged adults. Cardiac rehabilitation programs (CRP) have an impact on modifying the possible cardiac risk factors (CRF) involved, including psychosocial predisposing (emotional, personality and behavioral) that are the priority objective of the psychological interventions embedded in them. The objective of this study is to analyze the prevalence of these psychosocial factors in a Spanish sample (N: 905; 82% males), included in a CRP and to detect the different prevalence according to gender, heart risk and age.

Results: prevalence in depression: 29%, negative affect: 33.4%, expression of anger: 30.4%, and anxiety 20%. 17.3% presented PCTA and obtained a reduced quality of life in 25.3% and low social support in 12.5%. Women showed greater emotional psychopathology and less use of active strategies and PCTA. Furthermore, with a higher cardiological risk, a more adverse psychological profile was obtained while, according to age, the youngest had a higher prevalence of psychosocial factors.

Conclusion: due to its high prevalence, it is necessary to emphasize attention to psychosocial factors in rehabilitation programs and to do so differentially according to the profiles of the users.