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Physiologic and psychologic factors related to depression in patients after myocardial infarction: a pilot study
1Medical/Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital, Albuquerque, NM 87106.
Insights
Depression after myocardial infarction is linked to lower functional status and oxygen levels. Hispanic patients showed different depression scores compared to white patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Psychiatry
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Depression is a significant concern for patients post-myocardial infarction (MI).
- Understanding factors contributing to depression is crucial for patient recovery and management.
- Physiologic and psychologic factors may influence depression in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate physiologic and psychologic factors associated with depression one year after myocardial infarction.
- To identify predictors of depression in post-MI patients.
Main Methods:
- Correlational design involving 21 patients (10-14 months post-MI).
- Assessed oxygen saturation, somatic symptoms, and functional status (social, physical, emotional).
- Used Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Symptom Questionnaire (SQ) to measure depression.
Main Results:
- Depression scores (SDS and SQ) were inversely correlated with somatic symptoms and overall functional status.
- Significant inverse relationship found between Zung SDS depression scores, oxygen saturation, and physical function.
- Hispanic patients exhibited significantly different mean SDS scores compared to white patients.
- Overall functional status explained a substantial portion of the variance in depression scores.
Conclusions:
- Depression one year post-MI is negatively correlated with overall functional status.
- A moderate negative correlation exists between depression and hypoxia (low oxygen saturation).
- Ethnic differences in depression scores warrant further investigation in post-MI populations.
Objective:
To examine physiologic and psychologic factors contributing to depression in patients one year after myocardial infarction.
Design:
Convenience, correlational design.
Setting:
A university-affiliated cardiology clinic, a health maintenance organization, and a private cardiology group in a southwestern city.
Subjects:
Fifteen men and six women 10 to 14 months after myocardial infarction.
Outcome Measures:
Oxygen saturation, somatic symptoms, and functional status in three areas (social, physical, and emotional) were correlated to depression scores by use of the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and the Symptom Questionnaire (SQ).
Results:
Spearman rho correlations showed that depression measured with the Zung SDS and SQ depression subscale were inversely related to somatic symptoms, social function, physical function, emotional function, and total function. There was a significant inverse relationship between depression 9as measured by the Zung SDS) and both oxygen saturation and physical function. Although there was an inverse relationship between depression (as measured by the SQ subscale) and both oxygen saturation and physical function, it was not statistically significant. A Mann-Whitney U test for differences showed that mean SDS scores for Hispanic subjects (n = 5) and white subjects (n = 16) differed significantly. Stepwise multiple regression showed that overall functional status accounted for 56% of the variance for depression in the SDS and for 59% in the SQ depression subscale. Oxygen saturation accounted for less than 1% of the variance in both depression scales.
Conclusions:
The results of this study indicate that depression is negatively correlated with overall functional status in a select group of patients one year after myocardial infarction. A moderate negative correlation was also found between depression and hypoxia. Hispanic subjects had significant differences in their mean Zung SDS scores as compared with white subjects.