The impact of angina and cardiac history on health-related quality of life and depression in coronary heart disease patients.

Objective: To prospectively examine the contribution of angina and cardiac history to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and depression in cardiac patients, over 6 months post-hospitalization.

Methods: Participants were myocardial infarction (MI), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) outpatients under the age of 70 years. One hundred and seventy-one patients consented to participate, with 121 patients being retained 6 months later (71% response rate).

Self-efficacy and overprotection are related to quality of life, psychological well-being and self-management in cardiac patients.

This repeated-measures study explores how self-efficacy and overprotection relate to psychological well-being, health-related quality of life and self-management. Eighty-two cardiac patients, suffering from congestive heart failure (CHF) or myocardial infarction (MI), completed questionnaires at T1 and three months later. Perceived overprotection is associated with concurrent levels of anxiety and depression, and lowered quality of life.

Effects of a behavioural intervention on quality of life and related variables in angioplasty patients: results of the EXhaustion Intervention Trial.

Objectives: The EXhaustion Intervention Trial investigated the effect of a behavioural intervention programme on exhaustion, health-related quality of life (HRQL), depression, anxiety, hostility, and anginal complaints in angioplasty patients who felt exhausted after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: Seven hundred ten patients were randomized into an intervention group and a usual care control group. The group intervention focused on stressors leading to exhaustion and on support of recovery.

Attachment in families with Huntington's disease. A paradigm in clinical genetics.

Objective: Based on the premise that attachment experiences lead to a working model for social relationships throughout life, this study investigates if there is a difference between adult attachment representations in individuals who were brought up by a parent with Huntington's disease (HD), compared to a non-clinical population. Specific events in the parents' disease process, especially those leading to trauma and loss will receive attention.

Methods: Using the Adult Attachment Interview, adult attachment representations were investigated in 32 unaffected adults at 50% risk for HD who were raised by an affected parent.

Goal disturbance predicts health-related quality of life and depression 4 months after myocardial infarction.

Objectives: The aim of this longitudinal study was to determine whether the event of a myocardial infarction (MI) would lead to a disturbance in important higher-order goals, and whether goal disturbance could predict health-related quality of life (HRQL) and depression 4 months later, in addition to baseline scores, demographic characteristics, presence of anginal complaints (AP) or chest pain, coping strategies and social support.

Method: A total of 113 MI patients completed questionnaires shortly after hospitalization (T1) and 4 months later (T2), assessing (an impact of the event on) important higher-order goals (T1), disease-related coping strategies (T1), perceived adequacy of social support (T2), AP (T2), HRQL, and depression (T2). Two separate hierarchical regression analyses were performed with HRQL and depression at T2 as dependent variables.

Quality of life after myocardial infarction: translation and validation of the MacNew Questionnaire for a Dutch population.

A wide range of instruments have been used in health-related quality of life (HRQL) assessment of patients with coronary artery disease. The MacNew heart disease health-related quality of life questionnaire (MacNew) is a disease-specific measure of HRQL, that has been found to have both good discriminative and evaluative properties. The objective of the present study was to translate the MacNew for a Dutch population, and assess its reliability and validity.

Development, content, and process evaluation of a short self-management intervention in patients with chronic diseases requiring self-care behaviours.

Many patients with asthma, diabetes, and heart failure do not succeed in integrating the required self-management behaviours into their lives, and fail to attain optimal disease control. The purpose of this study was to describe the development of a theory-driven intervention to enhance self-management that would be appreciated and accepted by participants and providers. Based on self-regulation theory and proactive coping, the program emphasised goal-setting and the planning of behaviour.

Modeling predictors of quality of life after coronary angioplasty.

Psychological predictors of quality of life in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty were investigated using a prospective model based on self-regulation and stress-coping theories. Predictors (chest pain, disturbance of personal goals, stress perception, approach coping, avoidant coping, and optimism) and three quality of life indicators (disease-specific quality of life, positive affect, and negative affect) were measured with questionnaires in 158 patients both when they were admitted on the waiting list for angioplasty and 3 months after angioplasty. The results were congruent with expectations based on the theories and indicated that the models predicting disease-specific quality of life and negative affect fit the data well.

Effects of a post-hospitalization group health education programme for patients with coronary heart disease.

Effects of a post-hospitolization group health education programme for patients with coronary heart disease. A health education programme was offered to groups of coronary heart patients and their partners after discharge from hospital. A randomized pre-test post-test control group design was used to evaluate the effects of this experimental intervention.