Comparison of the Effects of Religious Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RCBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Sertraline on Depression and Anxiety in Patients after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: The present study aimed at comparing the effects of Religious Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RCBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and sertraline on depression, anxiety, biomarker levels, and quality of life in patients after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Method: This was a randomized controlled trial with parallel groups. A total of 160 patients after CABG surgery will be screened for anxiety and depression according to clinical interviews based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) scores (≥ 8). To assess religious attitude, Golriz and Baraheni's Religious Attitude questionnaire will be used. Participants will be randomly allocated to 4 groups of 40 including 3 intervention groups (RCBT, CBT, and sertraline) and 1 control group (usual care). RCBT and CBT programs will consist of 12 one-hour weekly sessions. The participants in the pharmacological intervention group will receive 25-200 mg/d of sertraline for 3 months. The Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) will be administered to assess the patients' quality of life. Blood samples will be taken and biomarker levels will be determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The primary outcome will be reduction in anxiety and depression scores after the interventions. The secondary outcomes will be increase in quality of life scores and normalized biomarker levels after the interventions. Discussion: If RCBT is found to be more effective than the other methods; it can be used to improve patients' health status after CABG surgery. Irct ID: IRCT201404122898N5.