Predictors of 3-Month Anxiety Among Intimate Partners of ICD Recipients Following a P+P intervention
Other Titles
Predicting 3-Month Anxiety Among Intimate Partners of ICD Recipients After P+P Intervention: Secondary Prevention of Cardiac Arrest [Poster Title]
Other Titles
Rising Star Poster/Presentation
Abstract
Introduction: Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivors often require implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy, which introduces psychological challenges for patients and their intimate partners. Although the Patient plus Partner (P+P) intervention, a six-week post-discharge program, was developed to support recovery for both patient and partners, factors influencing early post-discharge partner anxiety remain unclear. This study examined predictors of 3-month partner anxiety among intimate partners of ICD recipients receiving secondary prevention.
Methods: This secondary analysis included intimate partners of patients who underwent ICD implantation for secondary prevention of ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia (n=63) from a randomized controlled trial. Partner anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and patient symptom count using the Patient Concerns Assessment (PCA). Measurements were
obtained at baseline (hospital discharge) and 3 months post-discharge. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted using R, with two models specified. Model 1 examined the main effects of baseline partner anxiety, patient symptom count, and intervention group. Model 2 included a three-way interaction term
(baseline partner anxiety × patient symptom count × group).
Results: Of the 63 included intimate partners, 79.37% were female, the mean age was 60.8 years, 90.47% were Caucasian, and 25.40% had graduated from a 4-year college. In Model 1, higher baseline partner anxiety (33.99 ± 10.21, β = 4.66, p < .001) and higher baseline patient symptom count (7.33 ± 4.55, β = 3.18, p=.020) were significant predictors of higher increased 3-month partner anxiety, accounting for 32% of the variance. In contrast, intervention group assignment was not a significant predictor (p=.369) of 3-month partner anxiety. In Model 2, although not statistically significant, findings suggested that differences between the intervention and control groups may vary depending on baseline anxiety and baseline patient symptom count (p = .081). The three-way interaction among group, baseline partner anxiety, and baseline patient symptom count was not statistically significant (β = -2.45, p =.081).
Conclusion: The results highlight the need for tailored, condition-specific psychosocial support for intimate partners of cardiac arrest survivors. Future research should focus on identifying and addressing specific care needs to improve partner outcomes.
Notes
Funder Acknowledgement:
This project was supported by a de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging Scholarship and UW School of Nursing conference scholarship
References:
Ladejobi, A., Pasupula, D. K., Adhikari, S., et al. (2018). Implantable defibrillator therapy in cardiac arrest survivors with a reversible cause. Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCEP.117.005940
Sears, S. F. (2002). Quality of life and psychological functioning of ICD patients. Heart, 87(5), 488–493. https://doi.org/10.1136/heart.87.5.488
Dougherty, C. M., Pyper, G. P., & Benoliel, J. Q. (2004). Domains of concern of intimate partners of sudden cardiac arrest survivors after ICD implantation. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 19(1), 21–31. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005082-200401000-00006
Chung, M. L., Moser, D. K., Lennie, T. A., & Rayens, M. K. (2009). The effects of depressive symptoms and anxiety on quality of life in patients with heart failure and their spouses: Testing dyadic dynamics using the actor–partner interdependence model. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 67(1), 29–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2009.01.009
Dougherty, C. M., Thompson, E. A., & Kudenchuk, P. J. (2019). Patient plus partner trial: A randomized controlled trial of two interventions to improve outcomes after an initial implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. Heart Rhythm, 16(3), 453–459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2018.10.011
Aloe, A. M., & Thompson, C. G. (2013). The synthesis of partial effect sizes. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 4(4), 390-405. doi: 10.5243/jsswr.2013.24
Fox, J., & Weisberg, S. (2019). An R Companion to Applied Regression, 3rd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA https://socialsciences.mcmaster.ca/jfox/Books/Companion/index.html
Komsta, L., & Novomestky, F. (2022). _moments: Moments, Cumulants, Skewness, Kurtosis and Related Tests_. R package version 0.14.1. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=moments
R Core Team (2022). R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. https://www.R-project.org/
Wickham, H. (2016). ggplot2: Elegant Graphics for Data Analysis. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
Sigma Membership
Psi at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Secondary Analysis
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators, Interpersonal Relations, Cardiac Arrest, Anxiety, Burden of Care
Recommended Citation
Hwang, Jinseon; Thompson, Elaine A.; and Dougherty, Cynthia M., "Predictors of 3-Month Anxiety Among Intimate Partners of ICD Recipients Following a P+P intervention" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 105.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/posters_2026/105
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Invited Presentation
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-09-17
Predictors of 3-Month Anxiety Among Intimate Partners of ICD Recipients Following a P+P intervention
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Introduction: Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivors often require implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy, which introduces psychological challenges for patients and their intimate partners. Although the Patient plus Partner (P+P) intervention, a six-week post-discharge program, was developed to support recovery for both patient and partners, factors influencing early post-discharge partner anxiety remain unclear. This study examined predictors of 3-month partner anxiety among intimate partners of ICD recipients receiving secondary prevention.
Methods: This secondary analysis included intimate partners of patients who underwent ICD implantation for secondary prevention of ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia (n=63) from a randomized controlled trial. Partner anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and patient symptom count using the Patient Concerns Assessment (PCA). Measurements were
obtained at baseline (hospital discharge) and 3 months post-discharge. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted using R, with two models specified. Model 1 examined the main effects of baseline partner anxiety, patient symptom count, and intervention group. Model 2 included a three-way interaction term
(baseline partner anxiety × patient symptom count × group).
Results: Of the 63 included intimate partners, 79.37% were female, the mean age was 60.8 years, 90.47% were Caucasian, and 25.40% had graduated from a 4-year college. In Model 1, higher baseline partner anxiety (33.99 ± 10.21, β = 4.66, p < .001) and higher baseline patient symptom count (7.33 ± 4.55, β = 3.18, p=.020) were significant predictors of higher increased 3-month partner anxiety, accounting for 32% of the variance. In contrast, intervention group assignment was not a significant predictor (p=.369) of 3-month partner anxiety. In Model 2, although not statistically significant, findings suggested that differences between the intervention and control groups may vary depending on baseline anxiety and baseline patient symptom count (p = .081). The three-way interaction among group, baseline partner anxiety, and baseline patient symptom count was not statistically significant (β = -2.45, p =.081).
Conclusion: The results highlight the need for tailored, condition-specific psychosocial support for intimate partners of cardiac arrest survivors. Future research should focus on identifying and addressing specific care needs to improve partner outcomes.
Description
This study examined predictors of 3-month anxiety among intimate partners of ICD recipients following an intervention for both patients and partners. Baseline partner anxiety and baseline patient symptom count significantly predicted 3-month partner anxiety. Intervention effects may vary depending on baseline conditions. Findings highlight the need for tailored psychosocial support.