The Effectiveness of Progressive Counting Method on Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Patients with Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of the progressive counting method on PTSD symptoms (including avoidance, intrusion, and hyperarousal) that occur in CABG patients according to research literature. It was an applied research conducted in a quasi-experimental design (pretest-posttest with a control group and follow-up). The statistical population was the patients referred to the rehabilitation clinic of Tehran Heart Center in 2021-four to six weeks after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Twenty-four patients (10 women and 14 men) were randomly selected from those who scored 24 or higher on the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used for measurement. Mixed two-way analysis of variance in SPSS-26 was used to examine the effectiveness of the intervention. The progressive counting method statistically significantly reduced the magnitude of avoidance symptoms in the intervention group. This method made no significant difference in the amount of intrusion and hyperarousal (α=0.05). The progressive counting method is effective in reducing avoidance symptoms in CABG patients and this intervention is recommended. The level of hyperarousal and intrusion in the follow-up phase is largely determined by these levels in the pretest phase. As a result, screening of patients in this regard is recommended.