Possibilities of correcting increased anxiety by sandplay therapy in patients with ischemic heart disease living in inpatient social service institutions

Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of the sand therapy method for correcting increased anxiety in patients living in inpatient social service institutions. Materials and methods: a cross-sectional prospective study involved 116 patients with coronary heart disease, stable angina, functional class 1–4, living in the Rostov boarding house No. 2 for elderly and disabled people. The average age of patients was 72,38 ± 9,15 years (56 men and 60 women). Patients were randomized into two groups: group 1 — experimental (receiving sand therapy) — 58 patients, and group 2 — control (receiving standard therapy, support and care) — 58 patients. Anxiety levels were assessed using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale and the Geriatric Anxiety Questionnaire, and adherence levels were assessed using the Morisky-Greene Compliance Scale. Statistically significant were the differences in data and correlations between them at p<0,05. Results: the conducted study assessing the effectiveness of the sand therapy method for correcting increased anxiety and influencing the level of adherence in patients living in inpatient social service institutions showed that the use of this method for 2 months statistically significantly reduces the level of anxiety in patients with coronary heart disease (p<0,05). Patients with coronary heart disease who are not adherent to therapy have statistically significantly higher levels of anxiety (p<0,05). A statistically significant negative correlation was established between the level of anxiety and adherence to therapy in patients with coronary heart disease living in inpatient social service institutions (p<0,05). Conclusion: the use of the sand therapy method can help improve the psychoemotional state and adaptation to new living conditions. The inclusion of sand therapy in a set of psychocorrectional measures for patients with coronary heart disease, carried out in inpatient social service institutions, can help improve the psychoemotional state and adaptation to new living conditions.

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