Social Support, Unstable Angina, and Stroke as Predictors of Depression in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease.

Background: Depression is known to adversely affect coronary heart disease patients in western countries; however, no study of social support and depression has been conducted in the Chinese population.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of depression in patients with coronary heart disease.

Methods: Between January and December 2015, a cross-sectional sample of 105 Taiwanese patients from cardiology units completed a demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease Social Support Inventory, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

Results: Thirty-nine percent of the participants reported low social support, and 61.0% had depression symptoms. Eight factors predicted depression. Social support was significantly and adversely correlated with depression (r = -.481, P < .01). The other 7 factors were positively correlated with depression: age (r = .212, P < .05), reported monthly income of less than US $600 (F = 4.98, P = .001), lack of exercise (F = 3.75, P = .027), history of stroke (t = -2.45, P = .016) and kidney disease (t = -2.41, P = .018), unstable angina (F = 3.56, P = .031), and groin puncture (F = 3.27, P = .042). A hierarchical regression model explained 43.7% of the variance in depression.

Conclusion: Social support, unstable angina, and stroke may be important predictors of depression in patients with coronary heart disease. These findings help clinical staff to understand physical and mental health problems in cardiovascular patients. Thus, we suggest that early depression prediction and sufficient social support can help patients to face their disease and thus improve depression and health care quality.