close this window
A Patient’s Mindset Can Speed Recovery
A patient’s attitudes and beliefs don’t appear on any medical chart, but new research finds they influence the course of recovery.
Many factors determine how well patients recover following cardiac surgery, but one of the least appreciated is the set of beliefs they hold regarding their illness. The understandings they take with them into the operating room strongly impact the extent of their recovery three months later.
That’s the conclusion of a paper just published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research.
A research team led by psychologist Meike Juergens of Philipps University in Marburg, Germany, surveyed 56 people who were set to undergo elective cardiac surgery: either coronary artery bypass grafting, a heart valve operation or a combination of the two.
As part of the survey, the heart patients filled out an Illness Perception Questionnaire. Among other things, it measured their beliefs regarding personal control (“The course of my heart condition depends on me”), their expected time frame (“My heart condition is likely to be permanent rather than temporary”), and their emotional response to the illness (“My heart condition makes me feel afraid”).
The researchers returned to the patients three months after their surgery. They found “higher levels of physical functioning were associated with the pre-surgery belief that the heart disease would be of short duration and would not be related to serious consequences.”
In contrast, “Patients who perceived their illness to have a chronic or cyclical time course and who perceived their illness to have severe consequences on their lives reported higher levels of disability, depressive symptoms and lower levels of physical functioning.”
Given these findings, the researchers conclude that “it is important to identify maladaptive illness beliefs as early as possible” — that is, before the operation rather than after. Cognitive interventions such as counseling sessions need to take place as people are formulating their assumptions about their condition, rather than after they are firmly lodged in their minds.
Surgeons may resist this notion, but the researchers insist the evidence is clear: “The extent to which patients benefit from surgery depends only on the medical intervention, but also on the patients’ view about their illness.”
Sign up for our free e-newsletter.
Are you on Facebook? Become our fan.
Follow us on Twitter.
word on the street
- Howard Berman
more in this section
House Bill Puts Transportation in Partisan Crossfire
A Perennial Epicenter, Now for Same-Sex Marriage
Prop 8 May Be Same-Sex Couples’ Least Worry
EarthScope: A Seismic Shift in Data Gathering
Pressure to Conform Can Inspire Creativity
Learning to Read When a School System Falters
Better Super Bowl Makes for Better Ads
Five Orcas, Five Slaves or Five Persons?
Overseas Troops Finally Get Fair Shot at Voting
Quake Rescues Reserve, Shakes Baja Fishing Town
also by this author
Tom JacobsStaff writer Tom Jacobs is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years experience at daily newspapers. He has served as a staff writer for The Lo...
Children’s Books Increasingly Ignore Natural WorldA survey of award-winning children’s picture books from 1938 to 2008 suggests our increasing estrangement from the natural environment.
Women Eye Dance Moves to Find Thrill SeekersHow to spot thrill-seeking men on the dance floor, “sweet” personalities in public, and bidding fever on eBay.
Morning People May Be More Creative in the AfternoonNew research finds problems that require a flash of illumination to solve are best approached during the time of day when you’re not at your peak.
Does Black History Need More Than a Month?The documentary “More Than a Month” asks: Does Black History Month still inspire reflection, or just Nike sales?
We’re Sorry: Not All Apologies Are ApologiesPoliticians take note: Research shows the fine line between claiming regret and taking responsibility.
Receive 1 year (6 issues) of our print magazine for just $14.95. Miller-McCune features polished, in-depth reports on research and solutions across the policy spectrum — from health care, education and energy to international affairs, poverty and the global economy. It's a must read for well-informed and solutions-driven individuals.
follow us on:
join our newsletter:
from the source
World health leaders announce coordinated push to eradicate or control neglected tropical diseases.
Rather than moaning about too many cars on the road, the Ridesharing Institute says the real key to battling traffic congestion and pollution is filling empty passenger seats.
Various ways of assigning numbers to events, people, and actions is an ancient parlor game, but let’s not take it beyond that.
Researchers looking at how we fixate on threats uncover more evidence of a biological component to the red-blue divide.
Texas Republicans won Friday as the Supreme Court rejected a judicially drawn redistricting map, but not for the reasons you might think.
