Psychosocial Factors in Outcomes of Heart Surgery: The Impact of Religious Involvement and Depressive Symptoms.

Abstract

This article reports a prospective study of religiousness and recovery from heart surgery. Religiousness and other psychosocial factors were assessed in 142 patients about a week prior to surgery. Those with stronger religious beliefs subsequently had fewer complications and shorter hospital stays, the former effect mediating the latter. Attendance at religious services was unrelated to complications but predicted longer hospitalizations. Prayer was not related to recovery. Depressive symptoms were associated with longer hospital stays. Dispositional optimism, trait hostility, and social support were unrelated to outcomes. Effects of religious beliefs and attendance were stronger among women than men and were independent of biomedical and other psychosocial predictors. These findings encourage further examination of differential health effects of the various elements of religiousness.

Psychosocial factors in heart surgery: Presurgical vulnerability and postsurgical recovery.

“…Intrasurgical factors and complications have added impact (Contrada et al, 2004). Limited work on psychosocial factors points to possible effects of depression, religion (Contrada et al, 2004), subjective health indicators (Halpin & Barnett, 2005;G. Johnston, Goss, Malmgren, & Spertus, 2004), and social isolation (G. Johnston et al, 2004).…”

Including psychosocial factors in screening for surgery: A preliminary literature review from a social work perspective (Preprint)

“…Indeed even navigating the system prior to the point of surgery takes a significant psychological toll on the patient [22,23]. However, some specific psychosocial dimensions linked with surgery were also identified.…”

“…Specifically, psychosocial wellbeing, mood state and related factors have a major influence over hospitalisation, healing and surgical outcomes [14,24]. Pre surgery fear and anxiety have also been linked with post-operative depression, pain and poorer recovery [14,22].…”

“…It was also noted that surgery can take a psychological toll on families [22] and may have other social consequences, such as greater dependency on others [21]. Factors of social support, social wellbeing, past experiences, social vulnerability and consultation with family and extended networks, were all recognised as important factors affecting length of stay and outcomes [17,18,28].…”

Why Not Find Out Whether Religious Beliefs Predict Surgical Outcomes? If They Do, Why Not Find Out Why? Reply to Freedland (2004).

“…Contrada et al (2004), it is shown that the statistical issues he raised, and his preferred interpretation of the findings, were adequately addressed in the original article. It is argued that methodological limitations also were fully characterized and do not differ in kind from those of biomedical studies.…”