Emotion regulation, mindfulness and existential anxiety in patients with cardiovascular diseases: a comparative study

The purpose of this study was to compare emotion regulation, mindfulness, existential anxiety in patients with cardiovascular diseases and healthy individuals.
In this case-control cross- sectional study, all cardiac patients who had referred to Taleghani hospital in Tehran over the year of 2016 were included. Out of this population, 61 patients with cardiovascular diseases were selected and 63 healthy subjects were selected from among the attendants of the patients. Instruments for collection of data comprised a demographic characteristics questionnaire, Difficult in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), five fact mindfulness questionnaire (FFMQ) and Existential Anxiety Inventory (EAI). To test the research hypothesis, Mann-Whitney U was used.
There was a significant difference between the two groups, with cardiovascular disease and normal subjects in the emotion regulation, mindfulness and existential anxiety.
Emotion regulation, mindfulness and existential anxiety are psychological factors with a potential impact on cardiovascular diseases and their effect is suggested to be taken into account in such disorders.