Depression, anxiety, fear of progression, and emotional arousal in couples after left ventricular assist device implantation

Abstract Aims Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a common treatment option for patients with heart failure waiting for a donor heart. Living with an LVAD is associated with many burdens and worries. Patients often depend on the support of their relatives, usually their spouses. This can also p...

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Main Authors: Nina Waldenburger, Marnie Steinecke, Luisa Peters, Finja Jünemann, Christoph Bara, Tanja Zimmermann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2020-10-01
Series:ESC Heart Failure
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ehf2.12927
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author Nina Waldenburger
Marnie Steinecke
Luisa Peters
Finja Jünemann
Christoph Bara
Tanja Zimmermann
author_facet Nina Waldenburger
Marnie Steinecke
Luisa Peters
Finja Jünemann
Christoph Bara
Tanja Zimmermann
author_sort Nina Waldenburger
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Aims Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a common treatment option for patients with heart failure waiting for a donor heart. Living with an LVAD is associated with many burdens and worries. Patients often depend on the support of their relatives, usually their spouses. This can also put a strain on the spouses and be associated with psychological stress for both. In couples, communication proves to be an important form of emotional support. Besides verbal aspects of communication, the extent of emotional arousal (f0) that is vocally encoded plays an essential role as a non‐verbal aspect of communication. This study aims to investigate the psychological impact of LVAD on couples in investigating to what extent depression, anxiety, and fear of progression (FoP) differ between patients and partners, the intrapersonal and interpersonal associations of anxiety, depression, and FoP, and differences in emotional arousal. Methods and results In this cross‐sectional study, male LVAD patients and their female partners (N = 21 couples) responded to self‐report questionnaires on depression, anxiety, and FoP. Emotional arousal (f0) was evaluated during social support interactions between both spouses. Female partners experienced more anxiety than male patients (P = 0.016). No differences occurred in depression (P = 0.967) and FoP (P = 0.084). Regarding intrapersonal associations, for patients, correlations appeared between anxiety and depression (r = 0.859, P = 0.000), anxiety and FoP (r = 0.730, P = 0.000), and depression and FoP (r = 0.608, P = 0.004). For caregivers, correlations appeared between anxiety and depression (r = 0.906, P = 0.000), anxiety and FoP (r = 0.665, P = 0.001), and depression and FoP (r = 0.734, P = 0.000). Regarding interpersonal associations, correlations were found between patient's anxiety and caregiver's anxiety (r = 0.461, P = 0.041), caregiver's depression (r = 0.510, P = 0.018), and caregiver's FoP (r = 0.524, P = 0.015). Non‐significant correlations were found for caregiver's anxiety and patient's FoP (r = 0.404, P = 0.078) and patient's depression (r = 0.286, P = 0.236). Patient's depression was associated with caregiver's FoP (r = 0.526, P = 0.017), but not with caregiver's depression (r = 0.337, P = 0.146). No significant correlations were found between caregiver's depression and patient's FoP (r = 0.386, P = 0.084) and patient's depression (r = 0.337, P = 0.146). Patient's and caregiver's FoP showed significant associations (r = 0.482, P = 0.027). Patient's and partner's f0 were interrelated. Patient's f0 was positively related with his own and his partner's psychological distress. Partner's f0 showed associations to her own depression and FoP. Conclusions Findings indicate that women of LVAD patients are burdened similarly or even to a greater extent than men themselves. Women's psychological distress has an impact on patients' psychological distress and vice versa. Early interventions for both patient and partner represent a necessary intervention target.
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spelling doaj.art-3cfc86c8459c407c99ba86ec842eea3d2022-12-21T20:28:05ZengWileyESC Heart Failure2055-58222020-10-01753022302810.1002/ehf2.12927Depression, anxiety, fear of progression, and emotional arousal in couples after left ventricular assist device implantationNina Waldenburger0Marnie Steinecke1Luisa Peters2Finja Jünemann3Christoph Bara4Tanja Zimmermann5Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy Hanover Medical School Hanover GermanyDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy Hanover Medical School Hanover GermanyDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy Hanover Medical School Hanover GermanyDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy Hanover Medical School Hanover GermanyDepartment of Heart‐, Thoracic‐, Transplant‐ and Vascular Surgery Hanover Medical School Hanover GermanyDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy Hanover Medical School Hanover GermanyAbstract Aims Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a common treatment option for patients with heart failure waiting for a donor heart. Living with an LVAD is associated with many burdens and worries. Patients often depend on the support of their relatives, usually their spouses. This can also put a strain on the spouses and be associated with psychological stress for both. In couples, communication proves to be an important form of emotional support. Besides verbal aspects of communication, the extent of emotional arousal (f0) that is vocally encoded plays an essential role as a non‐verbal aspect of communication. This study aims to investigate the psychological impact of LVAD on couples in investigating to what extent depression, anxiety, and fear of progression (FoP) differ between patients and partners, the intrapersonal and interpersonal associations of anxiety, depression, and FoP, and differences in emotional arousal. Methods and results In this cross‐sectional study, male LVAD patients and their female partners (N = 21 couples) responded to self‐report questionnaires on depression, anxiety, and FoP. Emotional arousal (f0) was evaluated during social support interactions between both spouses. Female partners experienced more anxiety than male patients (P = 0.016). No differences occurred in depression (P = 0.967) and FoP (P = 0.084). Regarding intrapersonal associations, for patients, correlations appeared between anxiety and depression (r = 0.859, P = 0.000), anxiety and FoP (r = 0.730, P = 0.000), and depression and FoP (r = 0.608, P = 0.004). For caregivers, correlations appeared between anxiety and depression (r = 0.906, P = 0.000), anxiety and FoP (r = 0.665, P = 0.001), and depression and FoP (r = 0.734, P = 0.000). Regarding interpersonal associations, correlations were found between patient's anxiety and caregiver's anxiety (r = 0.461, P = 0.041), caregiver's depression (r = 0.510, P = 0.018), and caregiver's FoP (r = 0.524, P = 0.015). Non‐significant correlations were found for caregiver's anxiety and patient's FoP (r = 0.404, P = 0.078) and patient's depression (r = 0.286, P = 0.236). Patient's depression was associated with caregiver's FoP (r = 0.526, P = 0.017), but not with caregiver's depression (r = 0.337, P = 0.146). No significant correlations were found between caregiver's depression and patient's FoP (r = 0.386, P = 0.084) and patient's depression (r = 0.337, P = 0.146). Patient's and caregiver's FoP showed significant associations (r = 0.482, P = 0.027). Patient's and partner's f0 were interrelated. Patient's f0 was positively related with his own and his partner's psychological distress. Partner's f0 showed associations to her own depression and FoP. Conclusions Findings indicate that women of LVAD patients are burdened similarly or even to a greater extent than men themselves. Women's psychological distress has an impact on patients' psychological distress and vice versa. Early interventions for both patient and partner represent a necessary intervention target.https://doi.org/10.1002/ehf2.12927LVADAnxietyDepressionFear of progressionFundamental frequency (f0)Partner
spellingShingle Nina Waldenburger
Marnie Steinecke
Luisa Peters
Finja Jünemann
Christoph Bara
Tanja Zimmermann
Depression, anxiety, fear of progression, and emotional arousal in couples after left ventricular assist device implantation
ESC Heart Failure
LVAD
Anxiety
Depression
Fear of progression
Fundamental frequency (f0)
Partner
title Depression, anxiety, fear of progression, and emotional arousal in couples after left ventricular assist device implantation
title_full Depression, anxiety, fear of progression, and emotional arousal in couples after left ventricular assist device implantation
title_fullStr Depression, anxiety, fear of progression, and emotional arousal in couples after left ventricular assist device implantation
title_full_unstemmed Depression, anxiety, fear of progression, and emotional arousal in couples after left ventricular assist device implantation
title_short Depression, anxiety, fear of progression, and emotional arousal in couples after left ventricular assist device implantation
title_sort depression anxiety fear of progression and emotional arousal in couples after left ventricular assist device implantation
topic LVAD
Anxiety
Depression
Fear of progression
Fundamental frequency (f0)
Partner
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ehf2.12927
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