Effects of a psychoeducation intervention on fear and anxiety about surgery: randomized trial in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of a brief psychoeducation group intervention on fear and anxiety in patients undergoing the coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Sixty consecutive patients undergoing CABG for the first time were recruited for a clinical trial and randomized into two groups. The control group received routine care. The study group received a brief psychoeducation group intervention combined with routine care. The psychoeducation session consisted of a discussion of fear and anxiety in a psychotherapeutic atmosphere and relaxation techniques. Fear was scored with the Bypass Grafting Fear Scale (BGFS) and anxiety was scored with the Spielberger State Inventory (STAI) Questionnaire. The BGFS and the STAI were given to the patients the day after hospital admission and a day before the operation to measure fear and anxiety. Fear scores decreased in the psychoeducation group. Of the 29 patients treated with psychoeducation, the mean (SD) fear score decreased from 4.6 (1.7) at baseline to 2.8 (1.2) before the operation (p < .001). In the 31 patients who received routine care, there was a nonsignificant trend from 3.7 (1.9) to 4.1 (2.1) (p > .05). The mean difference in fear score before the operation was significantly lower in the psychoeducation group than the routine care group (mean difference -1.3; 95% CI, -2.1, -.2; p < .05). There were no differences in anxiety scores before the operation between the psychoeducation and routine care groups. In patients undergoing CABG, adding psychoeducation to routine care had a significant positive effect on fear but not on anxiety scores. A larger study of psychoeducation in these patients is warranted to assess the efficacy of this intervention in greater detail.

Keywords: anxiety; coronary artery bypass grafting; fear; psychoeducation; randomized controlled trial.