Sex and spouse conditions influence symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder in both patients admitted to intensive care units and their spouses.

Objectives: To assess the effect of sex and spouse condition on symptoms of anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms in patients and their spouses.

Methods: A prospective study conducted in a 22-bed adult mixed intensive care unit in a tertiary hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. Patients and their spouses were enrolled 2 days after intensive care unit admission. They were interviewed while in the intensive care unit using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. At 30 and 90 days after intensive care unit discharge, they completed the Impact of Event Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale by phone.

Results: From March 2011 to March 2013, we analyzed 118 patients and their spouses. We observed that female sex was associated with higher scores than male sex was in terms of the anxiety Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - subscale (p = 0.032) and depression (p = 0.034). There was no association between sex and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. However, spouses had higher Impact of Event Scale points compared with patients (p = 0.001).

Conclusions: Female sex was associated with anxiety and depression, and spouses were more vulnerable to post-traumatic stress symptoms than the patients were. Increasing age and a later time of assessment were also associated with lower scores on the Impact of Event Scale.