• Alexander M Presciutti, Katharyn L Flickinger, Patrick J Coppler, Cecelia Ratay, Ankur A Doshi, Sarah M Perman, Ana-Maria Vranceanu, and Jonathan Elmer.
• Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, USA. Electronic address: apresciutti@mgh.harvard.edu.
• Resuscitation. 2023 Jul 1; 188: 109846109846.

BackgroundThere is a critical need to identify factors that can prevent emotional distress post-cardiac arrest (CA). CA survivors have previously described benefitting from utilizing positive psychology constructs (mindfulness, existential well-being, resilient coping, social support) to cope with distress. Here, we explored associations between positive psychology factors and emotional distress post-CA.MethodsWe recruited CA survivors treated from 4/2021-9/2022 at a single academic medical center. We assessed positive psychology factors (mindfulness [Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised], existential well-being [Meaning in Life Questionnaire Presence of Meaning subscale], resilient coping [Brief Resilient Coping Scale], perceived social support [ENRICHD Social Support Inventory]) and emotional distress (posttraumatic stress [Posttraumatic Stress Checklist-5], anxiety and depression symptoms [PROMIS Emotional Distress - Anxiety and Depression Short Forms 4a]) just before discharge from the index hospitalization. We selected covariates for inclusion in our multivariable models based on an association with any emotional distress factor (p < 0.10). For our final, multivariable regression models, we individually tested the independent association of each positive psychology factor and emotional distress factor.ResultsWe included 110 survivors (mean age 59 years, 64% male, 88% non-Hispanic White, 48% low income); 36.4% of survivors scored above the cut-off for at least one measure of emotional distress. In separate adjusted models, each positive psychology factor was independently associated with emotional distress (β: -0.20 to -0.42, all p < 0.05).ConclusionsHigher levels of mindfulness, existential well-being, resilient coping, and perceived social support were each associated with less emotional distress. Future intervention development studies should consider these factors as potential treatment targets.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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