Impact of social support and religiosity/spirituality on recovery from acute cardiac events and heart surgery in Switzerland.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of social support and religiosity/spirituality (R/S) on the recovery from an acute cardiac event or cardiac surgery during cardiac rehabilitation (CR).

Methods: In this prospective study, a convenience sample of 159 patients participating in a CR program were enrolled. Religiosity/spirituality, social support, anxiety, depression, health related quality of life (QoL), and exercise capacity (6-min walk test, cycle ergometer test) were assessed.

Results: Social support was significantly associated with less anxiety (p < .01), less depression (p < .01), and better QoL (p < .05) on admission. After adjustment for age, gender, education level, and morbidity, social support remained significantly associated with less depression (p < .001). Religiosity/spirituality was significantly associated with less depression (p < .05), better QoL (p < .05), and better exercise capacity (p < .05) at admission. After adjustment for covariates, however, significance was lost. There were no significant impact of either social support or R/S on the course of CR measured by change in QoL or exercise capacity.

Conclusion: Social support may be a protective factor against depression in the recovery from cardiac events or surgery. Neither social support nor R/S had a significant impact on the course of the 3-week CR program.