The Effectiveness of Positive Psychology in Improving Resilience among Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases

Background and objective: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a significant global health burden, causing one-third of all deaths, especially in low and middle-income countries. Despite recent decreases in mortality rates, multiple factors contribute to CVDs, and their incidence is expected to rise in the coming decades, underscoring the need for effective treatments. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the potential of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) to enhance the resilience of CVD patients.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study utilized pre-test and post-test evaluations, a control group, and a one-month follow-up assessment. The sample consisted of 50 male patients diagnosed with CVD, who were purposively selected from the Baghdad Teaching Hospital in 2023. The participants were randomly divided into two groups (25 people in each group). Resilience was measured using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (Connor and Davidson, 2003). For data analysis, repeated measure analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc test were used (SPSS 26 software).

Results: Repeated measures ANOVA indicated a significant time*group interaction effect (p<0.001, η²p=0.65). The intervention group had significantly higher resilience scores at the post-test (p < 0.001) and follow-up (p < 0.001) compared to the pre-test. At the same time, no significant differences were found across time points for the control group (p > 0.05). The intervention group showed significantly higher resilience than the control group at post-test (p<0.001) and follow-up (p<0.001), but not at pre-test (p>0.05).

Conclusion: The study demonstrated the effectiveness of PPIs in significantly improving the resilience of patients with CVD. These findings suggest the potential of incorporating psychological interventions in medical treatment to enhance patient well-being and quality of life. Future research should focus on expanding demographic diversity and exploring the long-term effects of PPIs in various stages of CVD.