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CLINICAL TRIAL article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Health Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1420137
This article is part of the Research Topic The Interplay of Stress, Health, and Well-being: Unraveling the Psychological and Physiological Processes - Volume II View all 21 articles

PSICOCARE: A pilot randomized controlled trial testing a psychological intervention combining cognitive-behavioral treatment and positive psychology therapy in acute coronary syndrome patients

Provisionally accepted
Inés Magán Uceda Inés Magán Uceda 1,2*Rosa Jurado-Barba Rosa Jurado-Barba 1,2Guillermo Moreno Muñoz Guillermo Moreno Muñoz 3Maria Paz Ayan-Sanz Maria Paz Ayan-Sanz 4Juan Izquierdo-Garcia Juan Izquierdo-Garcia 4*Guido Corradi Guido Corradi 1Rocio Tello Rocio Tello 5,6*Hector Bueno Hector Bueno 5,7,8*
  • 1 Facultad HM Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain
  • 2 Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria HM Hospitales, Madrid, Spain
  • 3 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  • 4 Departamento de Medicina Física y Rehabilitación, Hospital Universitario La Princesa, Madrid, Spain
  • 5 Department of Cardiology, University Hospital October 12, Madrid, Catalonia, Spain
  • 6 Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Catalonia, Spain
  • 7 Other, Madrid, Spain
  • 8 Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Madrid, Spain

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Although psychological factors contribute to acute coronary syndrome (ACS) onset and prognosis, psychological interventions (PIs) are rarely included in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs due to inconclusive evidence on specific intervention components and effect sizes. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a PI based on cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) and positive psychology therapy (PPT) in improving psychological and clinical outcomes in patients with ACS.Methods: The PsicoCare trial, an open-label randomized controlled trial, compared a combined CBT and PPT-based PI (PsicoCare program) with a standard CR program (control group). The study recruited 87 ACS patients, and psychological outcomes, functional capacity, biochemical and anthropometric measures, and clinical outcomes were assessed at baseline, two months, and nine months after the ACS event.Results: The PsicoCare group showed significant improvements in depression, anger trait, anger-in, and anger control-out compared to the control group. Additionally, the PsicoCare intervention maintained more functional cognitive, social support, and spiritual coping styles, while the control group deteriorated. Patients experiencing severe ACS showed significant improvement in the personal strength of meaning due to the PsicoCare intervention. However, no significant effects were observed on anxiety, anger-out, emotion regulation skills, dispositional optimism, other personal strengths, or quality of life. Both groups achieved similar improvements in functional capacity and clinical outcomes.The study suggests that CBT and PPT-based PIs may offer additional benefits for ACS patients, particularly at a psychological level, and further larger trials are needed to confirm these findings.

    Keywords: Cardiac Rehabilitation, psychological intervention, Positive Psychology, cognitivebehavioral therapy, randomized controlled trial

    Received: 19 Apr 2024; Accepted: 21 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Magán Uceda, Jurado-Barba, Moreno Muñoz, Ayan-Sanz, Izquierdo-Garcia, Corradi, Tello and Bueno. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Inés Magán Uceda, Facultad HM Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain
    Juan Izquierdo-Garcia, Departamento de Medicina Física y Rehabilitación, Hospital Universitario La Princesa, Madrid, Spain
    Rocio Tello, Department of Cardiology, University Hospital October 12, Madrid, 28041, Catalonia, Spain
    Hector Bueno, Department of Cardiology, University Hospital October 12, Madrid, 28041, Catalonia, Spain

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.