Impact of psychosocial intervention on prognosis of cardiac surgery patients

The study examined the impact of two types of psychosocial intervention on prognosis and psychological distress of patients subjected to Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG), and investigated whether such impact was direct or mediated. A sample of 300 participants (243 men and 57 women; mean age: 56.1 years) was recruited into three groups. One group received a unique psycho-educational intervention called Programme for Affective and Cognitive Education (PACE), the second group was given a Relaxation intervention (Guided Imagery), and the third group had only standard medical treatment (Control). The PACE and Relaxation interventions were administered to patients alongside standard treatment a day before CABG as well as a day before discharge from hospital. Prognosis was assessed six weeks after discharge. Psychological distress was measured at baseline, week after discharge, and six weeks after discharge. Analyses of variance revealed a significant effect of groups on prognosis and a significant group × time interaction for psychological distress. The highest prognosis after CABG and the lowest psychological distress were found in the PACE group. Path analyses indicated that the PACE and Relaxation interventions negatively impacted psychological distress which in turn predicted higher prognosis. Only the PACE intervention additionally had a positive direct impact on prognosis. Both psychosocial interventions helped enhance the prognosis of patients after CABG primarily by reducing psychological distress. PACE emerged as a more effective intervention than Relaxation.