Abstract 11534: Persistent Hopelessness is Reduced in Home Exercisers in a Primarily Rural Population of Adults with Ischemic Heart Disease

Abstract

Introduction: Hopelessness and rurality are each associated with increased mortality in adults with ischemic heart disease (IHD), yet there is no known research examining hopelessness in rural adults with IHD. Purpose: This pilot study examined state hopelessness in a primarily rural population of adults with IHD living in West-Northcentral United States. Methods: A longitudinal design was used to collect data from 42 participants during their hospitalization with IHD and at a long-term recovery time point. Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes were used to stratify participants by rurality level, with 64% (n=28) categorized as rural. The relationships between changes in hopelessness and other variables were evaluated with both single- and multi-variable linear models. Results: A moderate to severe level of state hopelessness (>1.8 on the State-Trait Hopelessness Scale) was present in 47.6% (n=20) of participants during their hospitalization and persisted over time, with 57.1% (n=24) of participants reporting hopelessness between 200 to 540 days post-hospital discharge (p=0.42). Changes in state hopelessness levels from baseline to follow-up were not significantly associated with demographics, rurality, prior or current exercise, prior depression, depression score (measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-8), or time to follow-up (p>0.05). However, participation in home-based exercise (measured by the Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Participation Tool) was associated with a significant decrease in state hopelessness among those reporting moderate to severe state hopelessness (n=20) at baseline, with an estimated decrease of 0.72 points in hopelessness levels (SE=0.32; p=0.04). There was no association for hospital-based exercise (p=0.91). Conclusions: Hopelessness symptoms were frequent and persistent in a primarily rural sample of adults with IHD, with a decrease in symptoms observed in the moderately to severely hopeless who participated in home-based exercise. Knowledge of hopelessness in rural IHD patients is important for health care professionals in acute care and outpatient settings so at-risk patients can be identified and interventions employed. Future work should replicate these findings in larger samples.