Long-term Adjustment After Surviving Open Heart Surgery: The Effect of Using Prayer for Coping Replicated in a...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cardiology
• Sociology

Background:

• Evidence suggests religious factors influence cardiac health, but findings vary in older and sicker populations.
• Previous research showed prayer alleviates short-term depression and anxiety post-cardiac surgery.
• This study investigates the long-term effects of religious factors on postoperative adjustment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the multifaceted effects of religious factors on long-term adjustment after open heart surgery.
• To extend previous findings on prayer and coping in cardiac disease patients.
• To assess the predictive power of religious factors on depression and anxiety 30 months post-surgery.

Main Methods:

• Utilized preoperative surveys and medical data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' National Database.
• Collected mailed survey data 30 months after open heart surgery.
• Employed hierarchical regressions to analyze the impact of religious factors on depression and anxiety, controlling for demographics, medical indices, and mental health.

Main Results:

• Preoperative prayer for coping, optimism, and hope predicted lower depression levels.
• Subjective religiousness, marital status, and hope predicted lower anxiety levels.
• Reverence, preoperative mental health symptoms, and medical comorbidity predicted poorer adjustment. Optimism and hope did not negate religious factor effects.

Conclusions:

• Religious factors independently and complexly influence long-term postoperative adjustment.
• Mediating factors in religion-health relationships require further investigation.
• Future research should explore the mechanisms underlying the connection between religion and health outcomes.