Predictors of postsurgical stress among cardiac patients.

AIM To explore the role of stress vulnerability, dispositional optimism, fears of surgery and negative affective disposition in prediction of postsurgical stress among cardiac patients who underwent heart surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS The sample included 60 cardiac patients (39 males and 21 females, aged 58.50 +/- 10.97 years). All patients completed two sets of standardized questionnaires. Before surgical intervention, stress vulnerability, dispositional optimism and negative affective disposition were measured with N6-Scale (from NEO Personality Inventory-Revised Form), Life Orientation Test-Revised Form and Mental Health Index-5, respectively. Fear of surgery among patients was measured with an 8-item questionnaire designed for the current study. After intervention, patients completed a short postsurgical data form along with the Perceived Stress Scale. RESULTS There was no significant difference in postsurgical stress between the female and male cardiac patients (t = 0.96; p = 0.34). A similar result was obtained when the presence/absence of postsurgical complications was considered as an independent variable (t = 1.30; p = 0.19). As expected, a higher level of postsurgical stress was associated with higher stress vulnerability, surgery-related fear, negative affective disposition, and with a lower dispositional optimism score. Moreover, stress vulnerability and negative affective disposition were significant predictors of postsurgical stress. CONCLUSIONS Cardiac patients who are prone to stress and negative affective disposition are also at higher risk for postsurgical stress. On its turn, this psychological condition interferes with time and quality of postsurgical recovery. A careful assessment of psychological condition along with counseling before surgical intervention is needed in order to reduce the risk of postsurgical stress and improve medical recovery in cardiac patients.