Prevalence and correlates of complicated grief in adults who have undergone a coronary artery bypass graft

Abstract

Background: Complicated grief (CG) is a recently described mental health condition that follows bereavement. CG is often comorbid with depression and may also be associated with poor health outcomes. However, CG has not been studied in depressed medically ill populations. This study examined the prevalence, correlates, and impact of CG in depressed post-coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) patients.

Methods: A 5-item CG screen was administered to 302 depressed post-CABG patients participating in a comparative effectiveness intervention trial at 7 Pittsburgh-area hospitals from March 2004 to September 2007. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to either a telephone-delivered collaborative care intervention for depression or their primary care physicians' usual care. Measures examined depression, physical and mental health-related quality of life, and physical functioning over 8 months.

Results: Compared to CG screen-negative patients, CG screen-positive patients were younger, more likely to: be female, non-White, have lost a partner or child, and to have used tobacco or antidepressants. At baseline, they had significantly higher depression and lower mental health scores. At 8 months, screen-positives had poorer physical functioning and marginally higher depression scores.

Limitations: The study lacked a definitive measure of CG. Moreover, the CG-positive group was relatively small, reducing the power to detect differences between groups or control for the possible influence of other variables on identified results.

Conclusions: CG in depressed post-CABG patients is associated with negative health and mental health outcomes. These results underscore the importance of identifying and treating CG in depressed medically ill populations.

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