Abstract
Self-ratings of anxiety and depression were studied over six months in 60 wives of first time myocardial infarction patients. Couples were randomly assigned to either a treatment group, where they received a simple programme of education and psychological support in addition to routine care, or to a control group, where they received routine care only. All wives completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale and a battery of visual analogue scales measuring anxiety on a range of topics related to recovery from a heart attack. Wives in the treatment group reported statistically significantly less anxiety than controls. This effect was sustained for six months after the counselling. It is concluded that a simple programme of in hospital counselling is efficacious and should be routinely offered to the wives of coronary patients.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 249-258 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Psychosomatic Research |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 01 Jan 1990 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Biological Psychiatry
- Psychology(all)