Objective Depression and anxiety are up to three times more prevalent in cardiac patients than the general population and are linked to increased risks of future cardiac events and mortality. Psychological interventions for cardiac patients vary in content and are often associated with weak outcomes. A recent treatment, metacognitive therapy (MCT) has been shown to be highly effective at treating psychological distress in mental health settings. This is the first study to explore qualitatively, cardiac rehabilitation (CR) patients’ experiences and understanding of group MCT with the aim of examining aspects of treatment that patients experienced as helpful. Methods In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 24 purposively sampled CR patients following group MCT. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Two main themes were identified: (1) general therapy factors that were seen largely as beneficial, where patients highlighted interaction with other CR patients and CR staff delivery of treatment and their knowledge of cardiology; (2) group MCT-specific factors that were seen as beneficial encompassed patients’ understanding of the intervention and use of particular group MCT techniques. Most patients viewed MCT in a manner consistent with the metacognitive model. All the patients who completed group MCT were positive about it and described self-perceived changes in their thinking and well-being. A minority of patients gave specific reasons for not finding the treatment helpful. Conclusion CR patients with anxiety and depression symptoms valued specific group MCT techniques, the opportunity to learn about other patients, and the knowledge of CR staff. The data supports the transferability of treatment to a CR context and advantages that this might bring. Qualitative data are not freely available due to the potential for patient identification upon reading of part or whole interviews transcripts. Data may be anonymised and made available on reasonable request.

中文翻译：

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心脏康复患者对群体元认知治疗的体验与理解：一项质性研究

目的 心脏病患者中抑郁和焦虑的发生率是一般人群的三倍，并且与未来心脏事件和死亡率的风险增加有关。对心脏病患者的心理干预内容各不相同，并且往往与较差的结果有关。最近的一种治疗方法，元认知疗法 (MCT) 已被证明在治疗心理健康环境中的心理困扰方面非常有效。这是第一项定性探索心脏康复 (CR) 患者的经历和对 MCT 组的理解的研究，目的是检查患者经历的治疗方面是否有帮助。方法 对 24 名 MCT 后有目的地抽样的 CR 患者进行了深入的定性访谈。使用专题分析对数据进行分析。结 (2) 被视为有益的组 MCT 特定因素包括患者对特定组 MCT 技术的干预和使用的理解。大多数患者以与元认知模型一致的方式看待 MCT。所有完成小组 MCT 的患者都对此表示积极，并描述了他们的思维和幸福感的自我感知变化。少数患者给出了认为治疗没有帮助的具体原因。结论 有焦虑和抑郁症状的 CR 患者重视特定的群体 MCT 技术，了解其他患者的机会，以及 CR 员工的知识。数据支持治疗可转移到 CR 环境以及这可能带来的优势。由于在阅读部分或全部访谈记录时可能会识别患者身份，因此无法免费获得定性数据。数据可能会被匿名化并在合理要求下提供。