Prospective study of perceived stress in cardiac patients

Background: Psychological stress is known to have a negative effect on the health and well-being of coronary artery disease (CAD)patients. Although the study of stress CAD samples has received considerable attention, few studies have examined the effects of gender and age, had multiple follow-ups over an extended period, and had extensive baseline assessment batteries. Purpose: In this study, demographic, clinical, social, and personality variables were evaluated as predictors of nine repeated assessments of stress over a 2-year period in 322 CAD patients (33.2% female). Methods: At baseline, perceived social support, coping style, and social conflict were associated with stress ratings. Mixed models were used to evaluate predictors of reported stress during the subsequent 2 years. Results: The results showed that higher stress was present inpatients who were female and young. Follow-up stress was also found in patients with moderate income, congestive heart failure, high social conflict, low social support, and negative coping style. Conclusions: These findings may help clinicians identify patients who are likely to experience higher levels of stress over a prolonged period following a diagnosis of CAD and may also suggest which patients may benefit most from stress reduction interventions.