Eligibility criteria
psychiatric
RECRUITMENT
Participants were recruited from the Cardiac Neuropsychosocial Outcomes Evaluation–Family (CANOE-F; R01 HL153311; PI Agarwal) observational cohort study of family members of CA patients within CUIMC/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH). Family members who self-identified as the primary caregiver for the patient were approached 48 hours or longer after their loved one’s CA, while the patient was in the ICU or after inpatient transfer, and offered participation in CANOE-F.CANOE-F participants were offered enrollment into FAID Fear if they (1) agreed to be contacted about future research opportunities and (2) enrolled into CANOE-F while the patient was still in the ICU, given that this diary intervention was designed to be implemented during ICU stay. This recruitment strategy was implemented to build trust and remain sensitive to the wishes of family members regarding research participation during this stressful time. FAID Fear eligibility criteria additionally included (1) primary partner or family member of a patient who was hospitalized at CUIMC for a CA, (2) age 18 years or over, (3) able to speak, read, and write in English or Spanish, (4) willing to write in a journal about their experiences, and (5) available for follow-up. Participants were excluded if they presented any medical or psychiatric impairment that would have prevented them from complying with the research protocol.