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Updated: May 30, 2026
10:28
Interventional Diagnostic Procedure: A Practical Guide for the Assessment of Coronary Vascular Function
Published on: March 15, 2022
Psychological interventions for coronary heart disease
Ben Whalley1, Karen Rees, Philippa Davies
1Centre for Multilevel Modelling, Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol, 2 Priory Road, Bristol, UK, BS8 1TX.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|August 12, 2011
Summary
Psychological interventions show modest benefits for cardiac mortality and significant improvements in depression and anxiety for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. However, effectiveness varies based on intervention characteristics.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Psychology
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Background:
- Psychological symptoms are closely linked to coronary heart disease (CHD).
- Psychological treatments are commonly administered post-cardiac events or procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To update a Cochrane review on the effects of psychological interventions in CHD patients.
- To assess impacts on mortality, morbidity, depression, and anxiety.
- To identify predictors of intervention effectiveness.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
- Searched multiple databases (CCTR, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL) up to January 2009.
- Included studies with a minimum six-month follow-up in adults with CHD.
Main Results:
- No strong evidence for reducing total deaths or revascularization.
- Modest positive effect on cardiac mortality (RR: 0.80).
- Small to moderate improvements in depression (SMD: -0.21) and anxiety (SMD: -0.25).
- Interventions targeting Type-A behaviors were more effective.
- Interventions including patient education, client-led discussion, or family involvement were less effective.
Conclusions:
- Psychological treatments effectively manage psychological symptoms in CHD patients.
- Further research is needed to identify optimal patient subgroups and successful intervention characteristics.
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