Fear of Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation: Translating a Cancer Fear Model to the Atrial Fibrillation Patient Experience

BackgroundAtrial fibrillation occurs when rapid and disorganized electrical signals cause the atria in the heart to beat irregularly and is associated with an increased risk for stroke. Despite medical advancements, first and second line atrial fibrillation treatments exhibit significant recurrence...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in psychiatry 2022-07, Vol.13, p.915327-915327
Main Authors: Anthony, Scarlett, Harrell, Rebecca, Martin, Caroline, Hawkins, Taylor, Khan, Saleen, Naniwadekar, Aditi, Sears, Samuel F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
atrial fibrillation
cardiac electrophysiology
cardiac psychology
fear of recurrence
health anxiety
Psychiatry
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:BackgroundAtrial fibrillation occurs when rapid and disorganized electrical signals cause the atria in the heart to beat irregularly and is associated with an increased risk for stroke. Despite medical advancements, first and second line atrial fibrillation treatments exhibit significant recurrence rates. Because of this, atrial fibrillation patients often experience disease-specific fears that are not routinely assessed and targeted in clinical management. Fear of recurrence models in cancer research and other cardiac-specific fears have paved the way for a patient-centric approach to disease intervention. PurposeClinical assessment focused solely on the taxonomy of anxiety disorders may miss key components unique to the atrial fibrillation patient experience. An anxiety disorder diagnosis in the presence of an arrhythmia could be misleading and ultimately fail to address patient needs. Modeled from the cancer literature, providers may benefit from a broader disease specific conceptualization for AF patients that differs from a general DSM-5 diagnosis. AimsThe objectives of this paper are: (1) to review the medical aspects of atrial fibrillation, (2) to examine the comparability of fear of recurrence concept from cancer literature to the atrial fibrillation patient, and (3) to suggest considerations of these novel concepts in patient care. Future DirectionsIncreased understanding of fear of recurrence among atrial fibrillation patients aims to define and assess fear of recurrence components, determine treatment targets, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
ISSN:1664-0640
1664-0640
DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.915327