The Feasibility of an Intervention Targeting Sources of Meaning in Cardiac Rehabilitation

University of Southern Denmark (SDU)

Status: Invitation-only

Conditions: Rehabilitation; Mental Health Outcomes; Heart Disease

Treatments: Other: Conversation on Sources of Meaning in life with heart disease; Other: Dyadic Conversation on Sources of Meaning in Life with heart disease; Other: Group based session on Sources of Meaning in life with heart disease

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07262580

REC610

Grant no. 2023-12404 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Being diagnosed with heart disease can be a life-changing experience, often sparking existential questions and concerns about meaning in life. A lack of meaning in life has been found associated with increased emotional distress and decreased quality of life. Health professionals recognize that issues related to personal meaning in life are relevant but rarely address these aspects systematically in cardiac rehabilitation. This may be due to a lack of necessary tools.

The project evaluates a novel, brief and structured intervention that aims to strengthen the experience of meaningfulness and reduce or prevent emotional distress by addressing personal sources of meaning in life among patients attending cardiac rehabilitation and their relatives in Denmark. The intervention is based on the Sources of Meaning Card Method, a method developed by Peter la Cour and Tatjana Schnell to map and explore personal sources of meaning (www.somecam.org). For the current project, the method has been adapted for a cardiac rehabilitation context.

Three intervention formats are examined in a feasibility study in a municipal rehabilitation setting: 1) an individual format for patients in cardiac rehabilitation, 2) a dyadic format including a patient together with a relative, and 3) a group format for patients. Approximately 60 patients and 20 relatives are expected to participate. The study explores (a) participants' experience with and acceptability of the intervention formats; (b) changes in meaningfulness and emotional distress in a pre-post design; (c) recruitment and adherence rate, and (d) acceptability and practicality of the three formats among rehabilitation professionals.

Enrollment: 80 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

A.

Inclusion criteria, individual and group-based intervention formats:

• ≥18 years of age
• attending municipal cardiac rehabilitation
• proficiency in Danish

Exclusion criteria, individual and group-based intervention formats:

• severe psychiatric disorder
• severe cognitive impairment

B. Inclusion criteria, patients in dyadic intervention format

• as in A
• and having a relative who would like to participate

Inclusion criteria, relative in dyadic intervention format:

• ≥18 years of age
• relative to a patient attending municipal cardiac rehabilitation
• proficiency in Danish

Exclusion criteria, patient and relative dyadic intervention format

- as in A

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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80 participants in 3 patient groups

a) Individual intervention format

Experimental group

Description:

1:1 conversation between a professional and a patient in rehabilitation.

Treatment:

Other: Conversation on Sources of Meaning in life with heart disease

b) Dyadic (patient-relative) intervention format

Experimental group

Description:

The patient participates together with a relative and a professional.

Treatment:

Other: Dyadic Conversation on Sources of Meaning in Life with heart disease

c) Group based intervention format

Experimental group

Description:

A group-based approach, where approximately 6-10 patients in rehabilitation meet for a group session.

Treatment:

Other: Group based session on Sources of Meaning in life with heart disease