Effects of Cognitive Behavior Therapy on Depression, Illness Perception, and Quality of Life in Atrial Fibrillation Patients.

BACKGROUND

AF Patients with depression resulted in a markedly reduced quality of life. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

METHODS

It was A longitudinal randomized controlled trial with a pre and 12-weeks post-test. Ninety persons were randomly assigned to either a CBT group (CBT) ( = 45) or a treatment as usual (TAU) group ( = 45). The outcome were changes in the HRQoL [12-item Short Form Health Survey, SF12, divided into two domains: the physical component summary (PCS) and the mental component summary (MCS)], changes in psychological distress [Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)], and Illness Perception [Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ)].

RESULTS

There were statistically significant differences in score reduction for PHQ-9 (t = 3.186, = 0.002), HAMD (t = 2.611, = 0.011), BIPQ (t = 7.660, < 0.001), and MCS (t = 4.301, < 0.001) between CBT group and TAU group.

CONCLUSIONS

CBT improved HRQoL, Illness Perception and reduced Depressive symptoms in atrial fibrillation.