The Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral Stress Management Training on Anxiety, Depression, and Resilience Level in Male with Coronary Artery Disease

According to the World Health Organization, heart disease is the leading cause of death, and lifestyle changes can reduce the incidence of heart disease. Therefore, this study aims to determine the effect of cognitive-behavioral stress management training on anxiety, depression, and resilience of coronary heart disease patients.

This study was an educational trial with pre-test, post-test, and control group design. The statistical population of the study consisted of all men with coronary heart disease referred to the heart clinic of Tohid Hospital in Sanandaj. By purposive sampling method, 30 people were selected and divided into experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups, which completed the Resilience Scale and the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale. In the experimental group, cognitive-behavioral stress management training was conducted in 10 sessions, a 1-hour session per week; however, the control group did not receive the training program. After training, the groups were retested. Data were analyzed using independent and paired t-tests and multivariate analysis of covariance.

The results showed that the educational intervention of stress management by cognitive-behavioral method had a significant positive effect on reducing depression and anxiety (p < 0.05) in the experimental group in the post-test stage. The difference between the mean resilience scores of the subjects in the two groups in the post-test stage was statistically significant (p < 0.05).

The findings suggest that the cognitive-behavioral stress management intervention can be effective as a selective psychotherapy method and also a supplement in the medical treatments of cardiovascular patients. Therefore, it benefits to consider this kind of option as a part of the treatment plan for patients with cardiovascular diseases.