This study is investigating whether a series of psychological exercises, called positive psychology, provides benefit to patients who have been hospitalized for heart disease (an 'acute coronary syndrome' or heart failure). In this study, subjects are randomly assigned to complete 8 positive psychology exercises over 8 weeks, or to complete different exercises in control groups. We hypothesize that patients who are assigned to the positive psychology tasks will be able to complete the exercises at a high rate, will feel that the exercises were easy to perform, and will have greater improvements of optimism, anxiety, mood, and health-related quality of life than subjects in the control conditions.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
60
Weekly exercises focused on optimism, gratitude, altruism, and other positive affective states
Daily practice of relaxation response, reviewed on a weekly basis
Subjects record daily events on a weekly basis for 8 weeks
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Feasiblity
Percentage of exercises completed in the 8 week period
Time frame: 8 weeks
Optimism
Self-report (on Likert scale) of optimism
Time frame: 8 weeks
Happiness
Score on Subjective Happiness Scale Score on Happiness subscale of CES-D
Time frame: 8 week
Depression
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)
Time frame: 8 weeks
Anxiety
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale--Anxiety subscale
Time frame: 8 weeks
Mental-health related quality of life
SF-12 Mental Component Score
Time frame: 8 weeks
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