Prediction of quality of life after cardiological rehabilitation

Purpose: Psychocardiology research indicates that quality of life and even survival time are related with the patient's ability to cope with the illness. Method: A sample of 159 cardiology patients in rehabilitation were investigated at two points in time, in order to determine the extent to which psychosocial predictors (i.e. coping with illness, social support, self-efficacy, cynicism) and biomedical predictors (i.e. NYHA-stage, bicycle ergometric test results, duration of illness, number of impaired coronary arteries, age) as measured at the beginning of rehabilitation, could predict quality of life at the end of rehabilitation. Quality of life was operationalised as ,,life-satisfaction" ,,anxiety" ,,depression" ,,somatisation" and ,,rehabilitation-status". Results: The sample investigated, consisted mainly of men (88%), of a mean age of 53,4 years (s = 6.96). The most common diagnoses were ,,condition following myocardial infarction" (48 %) and ,,coronary bypass surgery" (26 %). In accordance with the literature, depressive coping style at the beginning of rehabilitation was found to be the most powerful predictor for reduced quality of life at the end of rehabilitation, whereas social support was found to be the most powerful predictor for quality of life. Of all the basic medical variables within the multivariate model employed only test results of maximal exertion on an ergometric bicycle at the beginning of rehabilitation predicted rehabilitation status, somatisation and of quality of life. NYHA stage, duration of illness, number of coronary arteries impaired and age did not explain the observed variance. Conclusion: The results point to the fact, that greater attention needs to be paid towards ,,depressive coping with illness" and appropriate psychosocial action planning in rehabilitation.