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Illness perceptions among cardiac patients: relation to depressive symptomatology and sex

Sherry L Grace1, Suzan Krepostman, Dina Brooks

  • 1School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3. sgrace@yorku.ca

Journal of Psychosomatic Research
|October 4, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Women perceive cardiovascular disease (CVD) as more chronic and less controllable than men, impacting depressive symptoms. Reframing illness perceptions may improve emotional health in CVD patients.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Cardiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease (CVD) significantly impacts emotional well-being.
  • Understanding illness perceptions is crucial for managing CVD and associated mental health conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate differences in illness perceptions of cardiovascular disease (CVD) between women and men.
  • To examine the relationship between CVD illness perceptions and depressive symptomatology in both sexes.

Main Methods:

  • Survey administered to 661 acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients (157 women, 504 men).
  • Utilized the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ).

Main Results:

  • Women perceived CVD as more chronic and cyclical; men perceived greater personal control and treatability.
  • Depressive symptomatology in women linked to younger age, lower activity, and chronic time course perception.
  • In men, depression correlated with non-white status, lower activity, less exercise, and perceptions of chronic course, greater consequences, and lower treatability.

Conclusions:

  • Women attribute CVD to external factors and view it as chronic and untreatable more than men.
  • Illness perceptions are associated with depressive symptomatology in CVD patients.
  • Interventions targeting illness perception reframing may enhance emotional health in individuals with CVD.
Abstract

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