The role of resilience and spirituality in recovery following cardiac surgery.

Higher levels of resilience and spirituality are independently linked to better physical and mental health outcomes, within both general and cardiac populations. We investigated the long-term associations of such psychological factors following cardiac surgery. A total of 402 patients undergoing routine cardiac surgery at two large urban hospitals in the Dallas, Texas, area were prospectively enrolled in this study, with completed follow-up data for 364 (90.5%). Data were collected from August 2013 to January 2017. Resilience, spirituality, and secondary measures were assessed at baseline, 1 month, and 1 year via the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale. Linear regression and correlational analyses assessed associations between resilience and spirituality, as well as other demographic and psychosocial factors. Resilience was significantly associated with every construct except posttraumatic growth. Spirituality was associated with increasing resilience over the ensuing year, whereas never being married was associated with a decrease in resilience. Our findings identify a population that is vulnerable to a decrease in resilience following cardiac surgery, as well as an avenue (i.e., spirituality) for potentially bolstering resilience. Improving resilience via spirituality postoperatively may foster better overall recovery and better mental and physical health outcomes.