This study aimed to apply a behavioral intervention procedure for the caregivers of coronary heart disease patients, and to verify its effects through the patient's perception regarding the availability and satisfaction with the social support received before (baseline), immediately after, and three months after the specific intervention. A semi-structured interview and a validated scale to evaluate social support were used with three patients with unstable angina. The interventions with the three caregivers consisted of four weekly sessions in which differential reinforcement and self-monitoring techniques were the primary behavioral strategies used. The results evidenced an increase in the scores for this variable for all three patients after the intervention, compared to the baseline (p≤0.05). The results verified the possibility of applying behavioral techniques to improve caregiver social support for coronary patients.
Behavioral intervention; Caregiver; Coronary disease; Social support
