Cited by 32Cardiac Health and Mental HealthAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesPsychological Treatments and Assessments

Qualitative analysis of emotional distress in cardiac patients from the perspectives of cognitive behavioral and metacognitive theories: why might cognitive behavioral therapy have limited benefit, and might metacognitive therapy be more effective?

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McPhillips, Rebecca, Salmon, Peter, Wells, Adrian, Fisher, Peter·2019·Frontiers in Psychology

Abstract

Introduction: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) alleviates emotional distress in mental health settings, but has only modest effects in cardiac patients. Metacognitive therapy (MCT) also alleviates depression and anxiety in mental health settings and is in its initial stages of evaluation for cardiac patients. Aim: Our objective is to compare how CBT and MCT models conceptualise cardiac patients’ distress, and to explore why CBT has had limited benefit for cardiac patients and whether MCT has the potential to be more efficacious. Method: Forty-nine cardiac rehabilitation patients, who screened positively for anxiety and/or depression, provided semi-structured interviews. We analysed transcripts qualitatively to explore the ‘fit’ of patients’ accounts of their distress with the main elements of cognitive behavioural and metacognitive theories. Four illustrative cases, representative of the diverse presentations in the broader sample, were analysed in detail and are presented here. Results: Conceptualising patients’ distress from the perspective of CBT involved applying many distinct categories to describe specific details of patients’ talk, particularly the diversity of their concerns and the multiple types of cognitive distortion. It also required distinction between realistic and unrealistic thoughts, which was difficult when thoughts were associated with the risk or consequences of cardiac events. From the perspective of MCT a single category – perseverative negative thinking – was sufficient to understand all this talk, regardless of whether it indicated realistic or unrealistic thoughts, and could also be applied to some talk that did not seem relevant from a CBT perspective. Discussion: Conceptualizing distress from the perspective of CBT presents multiple, diverse therapeutic targets, not all of which a time-limited therapy would be to address. Given the difficulty of identifying them as unrealistic or not, thoughts about disease, death or disability may not be amenable to classic CBT techniques such as reality testing. MCT proved more parsimonious and, because it did not distinguish between realistic and unrealistic thoughts, might prove a better fit to emotional distress in cardiac patients.

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  • Recent research suggests that the application of a metacognitive framework to psychological processes following a CVD poses a good fit, with repetitive negative thinking and metacognitive beliefs found among patients with resulting mental disorders.

    “Recent research exploring metacognitions in CVD patients suggests that the application of a metacognitive framework onto the psychological processes following a CVD poses a good fit, with repetitive negative thinking and metacognitive beliefs being found amongst patients with resulting mental disorders (24)1.”

    From Metacognitive Short-Term Intervention in Patients With Mental Disorders Following Cardiovascular Events (2022) · cites this paper as [24]

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  1. Beck J. S. (2011). Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond, 2nd Edn. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
  2. Moorey S. Greer S. (2012). Oxford Guide to CBT for People with Cancer. 2nd Edn. New York, NY: Oxford Press.
  3. National Institute for Health Care Excellence (2009). Depression in Adults with a Chronic Physical Health Problem: Recognition and Management. Available online at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg91/resources/depression-in-adults-with-chronic-physical-health-problem-recognition-and-management-975744316357 39808015
  4. National Institute for Health Care Excellence (2011). Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder in Adults: Management. Available online at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg113/chapter/1-Guidance 31961629
  5. Writing Committee for the ENRICHD Investigators (2003). The effects of treating depression and low perceived social support on clinical events after myocardial infarction: the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease Patients (ENRICHD) randomized trial. JAMA 289, 3106– 3116. 10.1001/jama.289.23.3016 12813116 · DOI

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Authors
McPhillips, R., Salmon, P., Wells, A., & Fisher, P.
Affiliations
  • Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (GB)
  • University of Liverpool (GB)
Corresponding author
McPhillips, Rebecca
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Published
2019-01-04
Volume
9
Pages
2288-2288
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2907166979
Cited by
32
References
89
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1
FWCI
2.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research (RP-PG-1211-20011)
  • Department of Health and Social Care
  • Programme Grants for Applied Research (RP‐PG‐1211‐20011)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac Health and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychological Treatments and Assessments
Keywords
emotional distress, cardiac patients, cognitive behavioral therapy, metacognitive therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, anxiety, depression, cognitive distortions, therapeutic target

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