Key result
Behavioral attribution post-cardiac event improves short-term control but is linked to increased anxiety 21 months later.
Why the study?
Does the type of causal attribution following a cardiac event affect short- and long-term health appraisals and outcomes in cardiac rehabilitation patients?
Cohort
Does the type of causal attribution following a cardiac event affect short- and long-term health appraisals and outcomes in cardiac rehabilitation patients?
Behavioral attributions after a cardiac event may improve short-term perceived control but increase long-term anxiety, suggesting a need for future-focused rehabilitation strategies.
Should not yet guide attribution counseling in cardiac rehab; leaves open long-term anxiety risks in observational data.
This study examined attributions generated by cardiac rehabilitation patients shortly after experiencing a cardiovascular event, exploring whether attribution type was associated with health appraisals and outcomes concurrently and 21 months later. Attributions fell into three categories: controllable behavioral ones, uncontrollable biological ones, and stress-related causes. Linking attribution type to appraisals and outcomes showed that creating a behavioral attribution was beneficial in the short-term for control appraisals, but was associated with increased anxiety symptoms 21 months later. Thus, cardiac rehabilitation providers should encourage patients to maintain a future-focus that promotes perceived control over health promotion behaviors that reduce risk for recurrence.
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Bennett et al. (2016) conducted a cohort in Cardiovascular event. Behavioral causal attributions vs. Biological or stress-related attributions was evaluated on Health appraisals and outcomes (including control appraisals and anxiety symptoms). Creating a behavioral attribution after a cardiac event was beneficial for short-term control appraisals but was associated with increased anxiety symptoms 21 months later.
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