title: Relation between myocardial infarction, depression, hostility, and death.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the independent impact of major depression and hostility on mortality rate at 6 months and 12 months after discharge from the hospital in patients with a myocardial infarction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred thirty-one patients were prospectively evaluated for depression with a modified version of the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule for major depressive episode. The Cook Medley Hostility Scale data were analyzed by chi(2) procedures for nominal and categoric data, and Student t test was used for continuous data types.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Depression was a significant predictor of death at 12 months (P =. 04) but not at 6 months (P =.08). Hostility was not found to be a predictor of death at 6 months or 12 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Major depression in patients hospitalized after myocardial infarction is a significant univariable predictor of death at 12 months, although it was not a statistically significant predictor after adjusting for other variables. Hostility is not a predictor of death. Prospective studies are needed to determine the impact of aggressive treatment of depression on post-myocardial infarction survival.
authors.affiliation: Penn State College of Medicine, Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA 18104, USA.
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Fitzgibbons
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Sussman
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Einfalt
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Rodgers
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Fricchione
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality* / Q000523:psychology*; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment