The Effect of Coping Therapy on Cortisol Levels in Women with Cardiovascular Diseases

Hamzeei, Zahra; Aghayousefi, Alireza; Rahmanian, Mahdiyeh

doi:10.30473/hpj.2025.73706.6188

Document Type : Scientific Research

Authors

¹ Department of health psychology, Payame Noor University, Dubai, UAE

² Department of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

10.30473/hpj.2025.73706.6188

Abstract

Objective: High cortisol levels in the body are one of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. One of the effective interventions in improving cortisol levels in heart patients that has a lot of research evidence is coping therapy. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of coping therapy on reducing cortisol levels in women with cardiovascular diseases. Method: In this study, a semi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design with a control and follow-up group, 30 women with cardiovascular disease referred to the clinic of one of the cardiology specialists in the city of Qom in 1402, who were convenience sampling assigned to two experimental groups (15 people) and a control group (15 people) using an accessible method. The inclusion criteria for the study included: having cardiovascular disease, being at least 40 and maximum 55 years old and being satisfied to participate in the research and receive the educational program, and the exclusion criteria were absenteeism in two sessions of the educational program. The cortisol levels of the experimental and control groups were measured before and after the test. And the Folkman-Lazarus (1984) theoretical coping technique protocol was carried out for 12 sessions of 2 to 3 hours per week for the intervention group. And finally, one month later, in the follow-up phase, the dependent variables of both groups were measured: fasting blood cortisol levels and 8 am. Data analysis was performed with SPSS version 24 software. Results: The average blood cortisol level for the experimental group (coping therapy) was 14.09 in the pre-test, 9.69 in the post-test, and 9.6 in the follow-up. Also, there is a difference in cortisol levels between the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages between the treatment group and the control group. Therefore, there is a significant difference in cortisol levels between the experimental group (coping therapy) and the control group (P<0.05(. Conclusion: The effect of coping therapy reduces cortisol in women with cardiovascular diseases. Also, considering the results obtained in the field of the effect of group therapy on improving the performance of cardiovascular patients, it is recommended that this treatment be widely implemented to improve the quality of life of these people in other aspects.

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The Effect of Coping Therapy on Cortisol Levels in Women with Cardiovascular Diseases

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Volume 14, Issue 54September 2025Pages 115-128

Volume 14, Issue 54
September 2025
Pages 115-128