Dynamics of psychological characteristicsin coronary heart disease patients after psychological intervention during inpatient rehabilitation after coronary artery bypass grafting

Introduction. The prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and its death rate remain high. Various rehabilitation methods, including psychological ones, are used for patients with CHD who require surgery. Psychological intervention in cardiology can be improved through the study of psychological characteristics and their dynamics in CHD patients. Aim. The paper aims to compare and identify the dynamics of psychoemotional characteristics (including anxiety, asthenia, and psychopathological symptoms) in CHD patients who participated in a psychological intervention program after CABG (experimental group) and CHD patients who did not participate in the program in the postoperative period (control group). Materials and methods. The study involved 46 patients (n = 21, experimental group; n = 25, control group; mean age - 59.59 ± 1.28 years). Psychological intervention was based on cognitive-behavioral methods. Before CABG and three months after surgery, patients were tested with the following methods: Asthenic State Scale, Integrative Anxiety Test, Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), and Big Five Personality Test. Results show that three months after CABG asthenia decreased in both groups. In the experimental group, a decrease in anxiety and its structural components (“Emotional discomfort”, “Phobic component”, “Anxious perception of the future”) was recorded, and a positive tendency was observed for the majority of indicators of psychopathological symptoms, including “somatization”, “interpersonal sensitivity”, “depression”, and “phobic anxiety”. According to the results of the present research, all patients on average had low rates of the “Agreeableness” scale and below the average rates of the “Conscientiousness” scale in their personality structure. Moreover, the examined patients had an above average level of the “Extraversion” scale. Conclusion. Psychological intervention with cognitive-behavioral methods is strongly recommended to be included in the comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program.