Depression and Anxiety Predict Decline in Physical Health Functioning in Patients with Heart Failure

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the prospective influences of depression and anxiety on physical health functioning in heart failure (HF) patients. Prior studies were also limited by employing psychological measures containing somatic items confounded with HF symptoms. PURPOSE: This study examined whether depression, anxiety, social support, and their changes predicted the decline of physical functioning in HF patients over 6 months. METHODS: Participants were 238 HF patients among whom 164 provided follow-up data. The depression and anxiety measures did not contain somatic items. RESULTS: After controlling for baseline physical functioning and demographic and medical covariates, baseline depression and its increase, as well as baseline anxiety and its increase, independently predicted greater decline in physical functioning at 6 months. Social support and its change were not associated with either concurrent or follow-up physical functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Depression, anxiety, and their changes independently predicted the decline of physical health functioning over 6 months.