Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Quality of Life of Patients with Coronary Artery Disease / 중환자간호학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and the effect of PTSD on quality of life (QoL) among coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.METHODS: The participants were 135 CAD patients who visited outpatient clinics in a university hospital in B city of Korea. Their PTSD symptoms and QoL were measured by structured questionnaires and analyzed with multiple hierarchical regression analysis.RESULTS: Among the 135 participants, 20.7% were classified as moderate risk, and 3.7% as high risk for PTSD. PTSD symptoms were significantly higher in participants who were diagnosed with CAD within 6 months (t=26.02, p < .001). The physical component of health-related QoL was influenced by gender (β=-.25, p=.003), recurrence of CAD (β=.21, p=.008), and PTSD symptoms (β=-.33, p < .001). The mental component of health-related QoL was influenced by religion (β=-.17, p=.044), body mass index (β=.17, p=.033), and PTSD symptoms (β=-.37, p < .001).CONCLUSION: Patients who had had a CAD diagnosis for less than 6 months were found to be vulnerable to PTSD, and PTSD was found to have a negative impact on the physical and mental components of their QoL. It is necessary to develop an intervention program for the effective prevention and management of PTSD symptoms in patients with CAD.