Post-Traumatic Growth, Metacognitive Beliefs, and Death Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: Descriptive Correlational Study

Objective: Our study aimed to examine changes in posttraumatic growth, metacognitive beliefs, and death anxiety pre and post coronary artery bypass graft surgery. We also aimed to investigate the factors associated with post-operative post-traumatic growth. Material and Methods: In this descriptive correlational study, 130 coronary artery bypass graft surgery patients were assessed pre- and post-surgery using the ''Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory'', the ''Death Anxiety Scale'', and the ''Metacognitions Questionnaire''. Statistical analyses including paired t-tests, independent samples t-tests, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression were conducted to examine changes over time and relationships among the variables. Results: Following coronary artery bypass graft surgery, there was a statistically significant increase in post-traumatic growth and metacognitive belief scores. In contrast, no significant change was observed in death anxiety levels. Postoperative post-traumatic growth was found to be negatively correlated with death anxiety. Multivariate analysis findings also identified death anxiety as a significant negative traumatic growth. Conclusion: Coronary artery bypass graft surgery was associated with psychological changes indicative of post-traumatic growth and heightened metacognitive activity. However, increased death anxiety may act as a barrier to post-traumatic growth. These results highlight the importance of incorporating psychological assessments and targeted interventions into perioperative cardiac care to promote better psychological recovery.