Preliminary Efficacy of an Emotion Regulation Intervention on Physical Activity and Depressive and Anxious Symptoms in Individuals in Cardiac Rehabilitation.
Kelly L Wierenga, David M Fresco, Megan Alder and 2 others
PMID 34321436WHAT IT FOUND
The emotion regulation program did not show a clear difference from usual cardiac rehabilitation plus nurse calls for depression, anxiety, or physical activity.
In the program, people with higher starting symptoms reported lower symptoms, and some reported more activity at follow-up.
Key findings
01The between-group changes over time for depression, anxiety, and MVPA did not reach statistical significance.
02Among RENEwS participants with elevated baseline depression or anxiety, symptom severity decreased into normal or mild ranges and was maintained at follow-up.
03Both groups increased mean daily MVPA from baseline to intervention completion, and the control group's MVPA dropped at follow-up.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a pilot study with a small sample size, and the authors did not power it to test efficacy. Baseline depression and anxiety differed between groups, with the emotion regulation group reporting greater symptoms at the start. The study was done at a single cardiac rehabilitation center, so the results may not apply to other cardiac rehabilitation populations. Only 57% of the intervention group completed the in-person sessions, so the results reflect a mix of completed and not completed exposure. Because both groups were in cardiac rehabilitation, and the control group also received nurse attention calls, the study cannot separate the effect of emotion regulation training from usual rehabilitation, group contact, or home practice.
Declared interests
The article is labeled as supported by NIH extramural funding and non-U.S. government research support. The supplied text does not include an author conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the emotion regulation program works. The between-group comparisons for depression, anxiety, and physical activity did not reach significance, the study was a pilot not powered to test efficacy, and baseline symptom levels differed between groups.