Effect of Rehabilitation Continuous and Interval Aerobic Exercise on Depression and Anxiety in Patients With Cardiac Diseases after Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Objectives The current study aimed at serving the effects of continuous and interval exercise training on decreasing the depression and anxiety in patients with heart diseases after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.  Methods The research method was semi-experimental and the statistical population included the cardiac patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery at Tehran Heart Center. They were referred to the Tehran Heart Center in the first three months of 2010. Twenty patients were selected from Tehran Heart Center and divided into a selected aerobic continuous training (n=10) or an aerobic interval training (n=10) with three intervals, three times a week for eight weeks. Depression and anxiety were measured by Persian version of Castello and Camri questioner. Also T student test was employed for within group analysis. Spss Version 16 was used for statistical analyses. Results The study results showed that both selected aerobic continuous (pre-exercise 89.16±5.48, in comparison with post exercise 82.30±4.78, P=0.008) and interval exercise (pre-exercise 83.70±5.01in comparison with post exercise 77.30±3.80, P=0.022) programs had a decremented beneficial significant effect on depression and anxiety. Also there were no significant differences between the two groups in improving the anxiety and depression (P=0.381). Conclusion It can be concluded that both continuous and interval aerobic exercise programs had a positive effect on reducing the anxiety and depression of patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery, but no differences were observed between type (continuous, interval, resistance, Aerobics, etc.) and intensity (low, moderate and severe) and their effects on the mental and psychological aspects. Therefore, both types of programs are proposed for clinical centers and psychological rehabilitation.