A mindfulness-oriented psycho-behavioral intervention for patients with acute coronary syndrome: A pilot study

Background: People frequently experience physical and psychological challenges (e.g., depression and anxiety) and high risk of poor prognosis after an acute coronary event. Mindfulness-based intervention holds promise as an effective approach to promoting health and well-being. Objectives: To explore the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effects on psychological distress, cardiovascular risk factors and health-related quality of life of a mindfulness-oriented psycho-behavioral intervention for patients with acute coronary syndrome. Methods: We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial to test the feasibility, acceptability and potential effects of the intervention in 50 patients with acute coronary syndrome. The intervention included six weekly sessions, including one face-to-face session and five WeChat-delivered sessions that incorporated mindfulness training with health education and lifestyle modification. Eligible patients were recruited in two public hospitals in China and randomly allocated into the intervention group (n = 25) or control group (n = 25). Results: Intervention feasibility was supported by a relatively high recruitment rate (66.7%) and retention rate (84%) and a smooth and brief data collection procedure (15 to 25 min) of the pilot study. Positive responses of the acceptability dichotomous scale ranged from 81% to 100%, suggesting the intervention was generally acceptable. The intervention had a significant group x time effect on dietary behavior (B = 0.31,95% CI: 0.08, 0.54, P = 0.008) with an effect size (Cohen's d) of-0.72. Conclusions: The mindfulness-oriented psycho-behavioral intervention appears to be feasible and acceptable and have a promising effect on dietary behavior in patients with acute coronary syndrome. A fully powered randomized controlled trial is warranted to further assess the efficacy of the intervention.