Key result
Spouses of ICD patients report greater shock anxiety than patients, and female patients experience more anxiety.
Why the study?
Device-related fears and anxieties in ICD patients and their spouses may influence psychosocial and marital adjustment, but these dynamics are not well characterized.
Population
62 ICD patients and their spouses
Comparison
Anxiety and marital adjustment between patients and spouses, and between female and male patients
Design
Cross-sectional study
Authors
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May warrant anxiety screening in spouses and female ICD patients; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation before informing practice.
Cross-Sectional (n=62)
p-value: p=0.045
Spouses of ICD patients and female ICD patients experience significantly higher levels of device-related shock anxiety, highlighting the need for targeted psychosocial support.
Sowell et al. (2007) conducted a cross-sectional in Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) (n=62). Spouse of an ICD patient / Female ICD patient vs. ICD patient / Male ICD patient was evaluated on Shock anxiety and death anxiety (p=0.045). Spouses of ICD patients reported greater shock anxiety than patients (P=0.045), and female patients experienced more death and shock anxiety than male patients (P=0.002).
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