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 |
|---|---|
| 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)
