Depressive mood after a cardiac event: gender inequality and participation in rehabilitation programme.
BACKGROUND
Depressive mood after a cardiac event is common with serious consequences for the patient.


OBJECTIVE
To compare gender in depressive mood during the first year after a cardiac event and to evaluate the effect of participating in a multidimensional secondary prevention program on depressive mood.


METHODS
166 men and 54 women, <73 years, consecutively answered a questionnaire concerning depressive mood at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 5 months and 1 year after discharge after a cardiac event. At 2 weeks, each patient met a nurse, and was informed about the disease and received individual support about lifestyle changes. Of those invited to participate in a secondary prevention program, 127 patients accepted, and 93 declined participation.


RESULTS
At each of the four follow-ups, women had significantly higher depression scores than men. Depressive mood in both women and men was significantly reduced at 6 weeks. Thereafter, it increased to the 2-week level in women and to above the 2-week level in men. No differences were seen in patients participating or not in secondary prevention programs.


CONCLUSIONS
Women had higher depressive mood scores than men and secondary prevention programs failed to improve depressive mood in both women and men.
Norrman
Signild
S
Department of Cardiology, Heart Center, University Hospital, SE-90185 Umeå, Sweden. signild.norrman@vll.se
Stegmayr
Birgitta
B
Eriksson
Marie
M
Hedbäck
Bo
B
Burell
Gunilla
G
Brulin
Christine
C
D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology