Abstract
BackgroundMedical emergency admissions are critical life events associated with considerable stress. However, research on patients’ affective well-being after emergency department (ED) admission is scarce. This study investigated the course of affective well-being of medical patients following an ED admission and examined the role of personal and social resources and health-related variables.MethodsIn this longitudinal survey with a sample of 229 patients with lower respiratory tract infections and cardiac diseases (taken between October 2013 and December 2014), positive and negative affect was measured at ED admission (T1) and at follow-up after 7 days (T2), and 30 days (T3). The role of personal and social resources (emotional stability, trait resilience, affect state, and social support) as well as health-related variables (self-rated health, multimorbidity, and psychological comorbidity) in patients’ affective well-being was examined by controlling for demographic characteristics using regression analyses.ResultsThe strength of the inverse correlation between positive and negative affect decreased over time. In addition to health-related variables, higher negative affect was predicted by higher psychological comorbidity over time (T1–T3). In turn, lower positive affect was predicted by lower self-rated health (T1–T2) and higher multimorbidity (T3). In terms of personal and social resources, lower negative affect was predicted by higher emotional stability (T2), whereas higher positive affect was predicted by stronger social support (T1–T2).ConclusionKnowledge about psychosocial determinants–personal and social resources and health-related variables–of patients’ affective well-being following ED admission is essential for designing more effective routine screening and treatment.
Highlights
An emergency department (ED) admission can be considered a stressful life event mostly associated with adverse effects on patients’ emotional state
This study investigated the course of affective well-being of medical patients following an ED admission and examined the role of personal and social resources and health-related variables
The current study showed adaptation in terms of affective well-being in patients with cardiac diseases or lower respiratory tract infections following an ED admission by increasing positive affect and decreasing negative affect
Summary
An emergency department (ED) admission can be considered a stressful life event mostly associated with adverse effects on patients’ emotional state. Much of what we know about emotional distress in medical ED patients is related mainly to psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety. A similar picture of adaptation was shown in longitudinal studies with other medical patient populations, which focused mainly on the presence or absence of psychological symptoms [4,5,6,7]. Considering this research gap, the overall aim of the present study is to examine the 7- and 30-day affective well-being of medical patients following an ED admission. This study investigated the course of affective well-being of medical patients following an ED admission and examined the role of personal and social resources and health-related variables.
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