NCT03122184

Positive Psychology for Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients

Positive Psychology for Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: a Randomized, Controlled Pilot Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 69 (actual)
• Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This is a randomized controlled pilot trial in approximately 50 acute coronary syndrome patients to determine if a 12 week, telephone-delivered, combined positive psychology-motivational interviewing intervention is feasible and more effective than a motivational interviewing health education program at improving health behaviors and other outcomes. The investigators hypothesize that the intervention will be associated with better mental and physical health outcomes and better health behavior adherence compared to the motivational interviewing health education program.

Detailed description

The initial study visit will occur in-person two weeks after discharge from the hospital. Participants will meet with a member of the study staff (the study "trainer") and complete self-report questionnaires assessing health behavior adherence and mental and physical health. Then, participants will be randomized to receive the positive psychology + motivational interviewing or the motivational interviewing health education interventions. A study interventionist will provide a treatment manual specific to their condition, review the rationale for the initial exercise, and assign the first exercise. If the participant is in the positive psychology + motivational interviewing condition, the trainer will explain the rationale for both the positive psychology and goal-setting portions of the program, and will be assigned the first exercise. Similarly, if the participant is randomized into the motivational interviewing health education program, the interventionist will introduce them to the program and assign the first exercise. Participants in both groups will then be given an accelerometer, which they will be asked to wear for 7 days to ensure that they are comfortable with the device and that useable data can be obtained from the participant. Participants in both groups will then complete twelve 30-minute weekly phone sessions with a study trainer. The phone sessions primarily will include a review of the prior week's session content and a discussion of the rationale and assignment of the next week's exercise/assignment. Upon the completion of these calls, and again at a final follow-up timepoint at 24 weeks, a blinded member of the study staff will call participants to administer self-report outcome measures. Participants will also be asked to wear an accelerometer at each of these follow-up timepoints as an objective measure of physical activity, which they will return by mail to the study staff.

Conditions

• ACS - Acute Coronary Syndrome

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Positive Psychology + Motivational Interviewing	For the positive psychology portion of the intervention, the study trainer will (a) review the week's positive psychology exercise, (b) discuss the rationale of the next week's positive psychology exercise through a guided review of the positive psychology manual, and (c) assign the next week's positive psychology exercise. For the motivational interviewing portion, participants will (a) review their physical activity goal from the prior week, (b) discuss techniques for improving physical activity, and (c) set a physical activity goal for the next week. Study trainers will use motivational interviewing techniques to facilitate goal setting.
BEHAVIORAL	Motivational Interviewing Health Education	Each week, participants will learn about a different health behavior topic related to cardiac health. They will also be introduced to motivational interviewing topics in concert with the health behavior education topics. The intervention is divided into five sections, focusing on five different important cardiac health-related topics (recovery from an acute cardiac illness, physical activity, a heart-healthy diet, medication adherence, and stress reduction).

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-05-01
• Primary completion: 2018-07-10
• Completion: 2018-11-26
• First posted: 2017-04-20
• Last updated: 2020-05-14
• Results posted: 2019-11-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States