Severity of psychological distress over five years differs as a function of sex and presence of coronary artery disease

Background Psychological distress is more prevalent and severe among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) compared to healthy individuals. Little is known regarding its time course, and whether these differences extend to individuals with non-cardiovascular (CV) illnesses. This study examined the presence, severity, and time course of psychological distress in men and women with CAD and those of similarly aged individuals suffering from non-CV conditions.Methods 1229 individuals (61% men; meanage = 60.4 ± 7.0 years) with stable CAD or non-CV illnesses reported on social support, hostility, stress, anxiety and depression at baseline as well as 4.8 ± 0.8 years later. Analyses involved mixed (Sex*CAD status*Time) repeated measures analyses (controlling for relevant covariates), as well as Chi-square and McNemar analyses.Results Women with CAD reported more symptoms of depression compared to other participants at both evaluations (p’s < 0.01), and reported more symptoms of anxiety and stress compared to others at T1 (p’s < 0.05). At T2, perceived stress remained significantly greater among women with CAD compared to men (p’s < 0.01), though differences in anxiety were no longer significant. Men reported more hostility than women (p = 0.001). CAD women fell within the clinical range for depression (p < 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.001), and stress (p = 0.030) more frequently compared to others at T1, and for depression (p = 0.009) and stress (p = 0.002) at T2.Conclusions The evolution of patient distress differed as a function of the measure examined, their sex, and/or CV status. While psychological distress was prevalent among these patients with diverse health conditions, women with CAD were particularly and chronically vulnerable.