Spirituality, Functional Gain, and Quality of Life in Cardiovascular Rehabilitation

Religiosity and spirituality have been associated with higher recovery rates, greater adherence to treatments, and better levels of quality of life in patients with heart disease.

To evaluate the association between spirituality, functional gain, and improved quality of life in patients in a cardiovascular rehabilitation program.

This prospective cohort study evaluated the association between functional and quality of life gains during a cardiovascular rehabilitation program and a religiosity/spirituality index based on a validated scale. Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were screened for control purposes. P values < 0.05 were considered significant for all analyses.

The study followed 57 patients (66 ± 12 years old; 71.7% male; 76% with coronary artery disease). The Spearman correlation coefficient did not show any associations between increases in functional capacity and organizational (rs = 0.110; p = 0.421), non-organizational (rs = -0.007; p = 0.421), or intrinsic (rs = -0.083; p = 0.543) religiosity. Furthermore, no associations were detected between the results of a quality of life score and organizational (rs = 0.22; p = 0.871), non-organizational (rs = 0.191; p = 0.159), or intrinsic (rs = 0.108; p = 0.429) religiosity.

No association was detected between functional and quality of life gains and organizational, non-organizational, or intrinsic religiosity in this sample of patients undergoing cardiovascular rehabilitation.