Cardiac‐specific experiential avoidance predicts change in general psychological well‐being among patients completing cardiac rehabilitation. Issue 4 (3rd April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Spatola, Chiara A.M.; Giusti, Emanuele Maria; Rapelli, Giada; Goodwin, Christina; Cattivelli, Roberto; Pietrabissa, Giada; Malfatto, Gabriella; Facchini, Mario; Castelnuovo, Gianluca; Molinari, Enrico
• Is Part Of: Applied psychology. Volume 13:Issue 4(2021)
• Page Start: 715
• Page End: 727
• Publication Date: 2021-04-03
• Subjects: cardiac rehabilitation -- cross‐lagged -- experiential avoidance -- psychological well‐being; Psychology, Applied -- Periodicals; Well-being -- Periodicals; Clinical health psychology -- Periodicals; Health -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Psychology, Applied -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; Psychologie appliquée -- Périodiques; Bien-être -- Périodiques; 616.0019
• DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12260
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1758-0846

Abstract

Abstract: Previous studies have shown that experiential avoidance (EA) is associated with physical and psychological well‐being in medical and non‐medical samples. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the reciprocal association between psychological well‐being and EA over time among cardiac rehabilitation (CR) patients with moderately to severely low levels of psychological well‐being. Pre‐CR data on demographic characteristics, measures of psychological well‐being, and cardiac‐specific EA were collected from 915 CR patients, as well as post‐CR psychological well‐being and EA data, from 800 of these patients. A cross‐lagged model was estimated to examine the relationship between EA and psychological well‐being among patients with moderately to severely low levels of psychological well‐being based on questionnaire scores. Both EA and psychological well‐being significantly changed during CR and were negatively associated with each other at both pre‐ and post‐CR. Results from cross‐lagged structural equation modeling supported a nonreciprocal association between EA and psychological well‐being during CR. Pre‐CR assessment of EA in patients showing low levels of well‐being at the beginning of CR could help to identify patients at risk for worse psychological outcomes. EA could be a promising target of psychological treatments administered during CR.