The effect of cognitive-behavioral rehabilitation based on stress immunization training on anxiety, stress and depression in people with coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG)

This study was conducted to determine the effect of cognitive-behavioral rehabilitation based on stress immunization training on anxiety, stress and depression in patients with coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Stress, anxiety and depression that play an important role in coronary artery disorders, are being considered as a hindrance to recovery after CABG. Providing the patient with correct coping strategies with stress seems to be helpful in preventing the recurrence.

The study was a quasi-experimental with control group with pretest-posttest design. The statistical population of this study included patients who had coronary artery bypass graft surgery and referred to the Rehabilitation center of Tehran Heart Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Thirty subjects were selected by continuous sampling method and randomly assigned into experimental and control group. The instruments for data collection were “Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale” (DASS-21), which completed before and after the intervention. The experimental group was exposed to stress immunization training in 10 sessions of 90 minutes. To analyze the data, multivariate covariance analysis, and one-variable covariance analysis were used in SPSS software.

Stress immunization training significantly influenced the anxiety (p≤0.0001; F=0.39), stress (p≤0.0001; F=0.35), and depression (p≤0.0001; F=0.68) scores of the experimental group compared to the control group.

Stress immunization training plays an important role in reducing negative emotions (anxiety, stress and depression) in patients with coronary artery bypass graft surgery. It is recommended to use this intervention for patients undergoing CABG.