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Angina, functional impairment and physical inactivity among Mexican-American women with depressive symptoms
C J Portillo1, M C White, K Baisden
1Department of Mental Health, School of Nursing, University of California at San Francisco 94143-0608, USA.
Insights
Functional impairment, not angina, strongly predicts depressive symptoms in Mexican American women. Poverty and single marital status also significantly influence this relationship, highlighting overlooked comorbidity factors.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Psychiatry
- Cardiology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and psychiatric morbidity, particularly depressive symptoms, share a complex relationship.
- Research on comorbidity in Mexican American women, especially concerning CVD and depression, remains limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between angina and depressive symptoms.
- To examine the impact of sociodemographic factors on this relationship.
- To assess the mediating role of functional impairment and inactivity in the angina-depression link.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 1,558 Mexican American women in the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES, 1982-84).
- Employed cross-sectional analysis with depression measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Depression Scale (CES-D).
- Assessed angina using the Rose Questionnaire, alongside covariates like functional impairment, physical activity, and sociodemographic variables.
Main Results:
- Functional impairment demonstrated a stronger association with depressive symptoms than angina or physical inactivity.
- Single marital status and poverty were identified as significant sociodemographic predictors.
- The study highlights functional impairment as a key factor in depressive symptomatology for this population.
Conclusions:
- Functional impairment is a more critical factor associated with depressive symptoms than angina in Mexican American women.
- Sociodemographic factors, specifically poverty and marital status, play a significant role.
- This research underscores the need to address functional impairment in the comorbidity of CVD and depression within this demographic.
Abstract:
There has been a long-standing interest in the relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and psychiatric morbidity, specifically depressive symptoms. The aims of this study were to determine the following: 1. The relationship between the presence of angina and depressive symptoms; 2. The influences of sociodemographic covariates on this relationship; and 3. The effects of functional impairment or inactivity level in mediating the relationship between angina and depressive symptoms. The data utilized for this study was from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES) on 1,558 Mexican American women. The survey was cross sectional, conducted in 1982-84. The dependent variable was depression as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Depression Scale (CES-D). The independent variable was the presence of angina as measured by the Rose Questionnaire. Covariates included functional impairment, physical activity, age, education, acculturation, poverty level, marital status, and work status. The findings suggest that functional impairment has a stronger association with depressive symptoms than angina or physical inactivity. Significant sociodemographic variables include single marital status and poverty. Comorbidity has been a neglected area of research for Mexican American women, but this study suggests that functional impairment is a more important factor associated with depressive symptomatology than angina.