Cardiac Rehabilitation Program effect on anxiety, depression and quality of life.

Introduction: The study aimed to evaluate the effects of a cardiac rehabilitation program based on physical exercise and the promotion of healthy habits on anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life in patients with cardiovascular conditions. Additionally, it sought to analyze the influence of baseline anxiety and depression levels on post-treatment health-related quality of life outcomes. Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted with 189 patients who completed a structured cardiac rehabilitation program. Anxiety and depression were assessed using the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale, while health-related quality of life was measured with the RAND-36 survey. Data were collected pre- and post-intervention. Statistical analyses included paired t-tests for pre-post comparisons and ANCOVA to evaluate the impact of initial anxiety and depression on health-related quality of life improvements. Results: The cardiac rehabilitation program significantly reduced anxiety (mean difference = 0.93, p < .001) and depression (mean difference = 0.62, p < .001), with improvements observed across several health-related quality of life dimensions, including emotional well-being (p = .005) and energy/fatigue (p < .001). Baseline anxiety and depression levels influenced changes in specific health-related quality of life dimensions, such as social functioning and role limitations due to physical health (p < .05). Discussion: The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation programs in reducing anxiety and depression and improving health-related quality of life in patients with cardiovascular conditions. Baseline psychological status plays a key role in determining the magnitude of health-related quality of life improvements, highlighting the need for tailored interventions.