Decline in health-related quality of life 6 months after coronary artery bypass graft surgery: the influence of anxiety, depression, and personality traits.

BACKGROUND: Although coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is known to improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL), this improvement does not seem to be realized in all patients who had undergone CABG surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test the direct and indirect influence of personality trait Type D on no change-deterioration trajectories HRQoL and the mediating influence of increased symptoms of anxiety and depression.

METHODS: The hypothesized influence of personality trait Type D on the relationship between increased anxiety and depression and no change-deterioration trajectories in HRQoL was tested with path analysis using structural equation modeling.

RESULTS: The results of the current study show that Type D personality comprised a vulnerability factor for poor patient-reported outcomes (ie, HRQoL and distress), and despite significant and clinically relevant benefits also for Type D patients after CABG, their well-being remained poorer than that of non-Type D participants at 6 months. Increased levels of anxiety largely mediated the influence of Type D personality on no change-deterioration trajectories in both physical and mental HRQoL, whereas increased symptoms of depression explained deterioration in physical and mental HRQoL without the influence of Type D personality.

CONCLUSION: There is evidence that increased symptoms of psychological distress is a strong predictor of no change-deterioration trajectories in HRQoL and that this relationship is influenced by personality trait Type D. We conclude that mediating factors, especially increased anxiety and depression, should be treated adequately in post-CABG clinical routine.