title: Connecting the dots of heart disease, poor mental health, and abuse to understand gender disparities and promote women's health: a prospective cohort analysis.
abstract: Heart disease, poor mental health, and abuse are epidemic among women worldwide. Our purpose was to identify a group of women with heart disease and explore the relationship between a history of abuse and existing symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and analyze the relationships over time. A prospective cohort analysis design with mental health measures repeated at 3 and 6 months postintake was followed. Abused women (n = 25) reported significantly more symptoms of depression (p = .004) and PTSD (p = .003) compared with nonabused women (n = 14). To promote global mental health among women with heart disease, interventions must address a history of abuse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, College of Nursing, Texas Woman's University, Houston, Texas, USA. jmcfarlane@twu.edu
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McFarlane
authors.forename: Lene
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Symes
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frazier
authors.forename: Gayle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McGlory
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Henderson-Everhardus
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology