Exercise,Cardiac Rehabilitation Participation, and their Relationship with Hopelessness and Depression in Individiuals with Cardiac Disease

Faculty Mentor(s)

Dr. Susan Dunn, Hope College
Professor Barbara Vincensi, Hope College

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

4-15-2011

Abstract

State and trait hopelessness describes acute hopelessness experienced by coronary heart disease patients in response to a sudden heart event, or a chronic tendency for hopelessness present for years. Hopelessness is associated with an increased risk of fatal and non-fatal CHD. The purpose of this study is to describe the frequency and severity of hopelessness (state and trait) and depression over time; and the relationship of state and trait hopelessness and depression to exercise level and participation in a hospital based CR program. The project is based on Abramson’s Theory of Hopelessness Depression. The research design is non-experimental and descriptive. The survey includes demographic data and a questionnaire assessing state and trait hopelessness testing, CR exercise participation, activity status index and patient health. Select participants completed the Beck Hopelessness Scale. A convenient sample of 500 participants was taken from a large West Michigan hospital. Participants were identified based on the diagnosis of myocardial infarction, unstable angina, coronary artery angioplasty, stent, or bypass surgery; cardiac valve surgery. Participant hopelessness, depression, and exercise adherence was monitored for a year after discharge with three follow-up periods at 3 months, 8 months, and one year. Data analysis includes descriptive, correlation, and t-test statistics using SPSS software. Conclusions and results are pending. Limitations include one hospital site for data collection and a convenient sample, decreasing generalizability. Implications may lead to future research of interventions to prevent, decrease, or resolve hopelessness.

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