Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008;15(3):227-31.
doi: 10.1080/10705500802219556.

Symptoms of traumatic stress after coronary artery bypass grafting

Efharis Panagopoulou  1 , Stan Maes, Elias Tyrodimos, Alexis Benos
Affiliations

Symptoms of traumatic stress after coronary artery bypass grafting

Efharis Panagopoulou et al. Int J Behav Med. 2008.

Abstract

Background: Traumatic stress symptoms have only recently been studied in association with medical treatment procedures.

Purpose: The study examined associations of physical and psychological functioning during hospitalization to symptoms of traumatic stress after cardiac surgery.

Methods: One hundred thirteen patients admitted for coronary artery bypass grafting participated in the study. Symptoms of traumatic stress were assessed one and six months after surgery, with the Impact of Event Scale. Preoperative stress and ruminative thinking, length of preoperative waiting, duration of surgery, and postoperative recovery indices (length of stay in the intensive care unit, cognitive functioning during intensive care, length of stay in the hospital) were examined.

Results: Ten percent of the patients reported severe (> 19) symptoms of avoidance, and five percent reported severe symptoms of intrusion in both follow-ups. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that preoperative stress was positively associated to avoidance symptoms in both follow-ups (p < .01). Preoperative stress and ruminative thinking was positively associated to intrusion symptoms one month after surgery (p < .01). Disease related factors were not related to symptoms of traumatic stress during the postoperative period.

Conclusion: This study highlights the role of preoperative surgery-related stress as a risk factor for traumatic stress in the postoperative period.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Br J Clin Psychol. 1994 Feb;33(1):71-4 - PubMed
    1. Clin Psychol Rev. 2003 May;23(3):409-48 - PubMed
    1. Heart Lung. 2001 Nov-Dec;30(6):458-65 - PubMed
    1. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1982 Jun;50(3):407-14 - PubMed
    1. Psychosom Med. 1979 May;41(3):209-18 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources