TY - JOUR
T1 - Quality of life and anxiety in a phase II cardiac rehabilitation program
AU - Engebretson, Tilmer O.
AU - Clark, Matthew M.
AU - Niaura, Raymond S.
AU - Phillips, Terri
AU - Albrecht, Anna
AU - Tilkemeier, Peter
PY - 1999
Y1 - 1999
N2 - Purpose: Cardiac rehabilitation programs increasingly attempt to improve both quantity and quality of life (QOL). Documenting QOL changes requires appropriate instruments, and interpreting QOL data requires an understanding of the factors that influence such reports. Methods: To address both issues, we assessed QOL among 77 patients before and after participation in a 12-wk phase II cardiac rehabilitation program. Individual psychological differences in trait anxiety and defensiveness were also assessed. The sample was 76.6% male, 70.1% married, and had a mean age of 58.8 yr. Results: The QOL scales detected changes which occurred over the 12-wk testing period. QOL reports were strongly and differentially influenced by individual differences in trait anxiety, such that patients reporting high trait anxiety displayed poorer QOL than those low in trait anxiety. More specifically, trait anxiety influenced affect reports most strongly, functional aspects moderately, and physical aspects of QOL reports the least. Conclusions: Defensiveness was unrelated to QOL reports. The 17% of participants who voluntarily left the rehabilitation program prematurely were characterized as younger, having better self-perceived health, having a less severe cardiac history, and being high in both trait anxiety and defensiveness. Study benefits and limitations are discussed.
AB - Purpose: Cardiac rehabilitation programs increasingly attempt to improve both quantity and quality of life (QOL). Documenting QOL changes requires appropriate instruments, and interpreting QOL data requires an understanding of the factors that influence such reports. Methods: To address both issues, we assessed QOL among 77 patients before and after participation in a 12-wk phase II cardiac rehabilitation program. Individual psychological differences in trait anxiety and defensiveness were also assessed. The sample was 76.6% male, 70.1% married, and had a mean age of 58.8 yr. Results: The QOL scales detected changes which occurred over the 12-wk testing period. QOL reports were strongly and differentially influenced by individual differences in trait anxiety, such that patients reporting high trait anxiety displayed poorer QOL than those low in trait anxiety. More specifically, trait anxiety influenced affect reports most strongly, functional aspects moderately, and physical aspects of QOL reports the least. Conclusions: Defensiveness was unrelated to QOL reports. The 17% of participants who voluntarily left the rehabilitation program prematurely were characterized as younger, having better self-perceived health, having a less severe cardiac history, and being high in both trait anxiety and defensiveness. Study benefits and limitations are discussed.
KW - Adherence
KW - Affect
KW - Compliance
KW - Coronary heart disease
KW - Emotion
KW - Human
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U2 - 10.1097/00005768-199902000-00003
DO - 10.1097/00005768-199902000-00003
M3 - Article
C2 - 10063809
AN - SCOPUS:0033047437
SN - 0195-9131
VL - 31
SP - 216
EP - 223
JO - Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
JF - Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
IS - 2
ER -