Coronary disease & ACSCross-sectional study
Sex Differences in Psychological Distress of Patients With Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD): The MINDSET Study
- cross-sectional study
- 6 Canadian hospitals
Authors' conclusion
Both women and men experience clinically significant cardiac anxiety following SCAD, but women report a greater psychological burden, including more preexisting mental health conditions and twice the distress after SCAD. These results underscore the importance of routine psychological screening and timely intervention to support mental health and recovery outcomes, particularly among women.
Study context
- Population
- Adult patients diagnosed with SCAD within the past 3 years, confirmed by coronary angiography92.9% women, mean age=53.3±11.1 years
- Participants
- 326 patients
- Exposure
- sex differences in the psychological distress of patients with SCAD
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
P = 0.035
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Clinically significant symptoms
depression
anxiety
cardiac anxiety
posttraumatic stress
Mean scores on Patient-Health-Questionnaire-9, Cardiac-Anxiety-Questionnaire, and PTSD Checklist-5 · Post-SCAD
- women reported higher mean scores than men
- all P <0.05
Depressive, cardiac anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptoms (female sex, adjusted)
- depressive B
- B=2.94; P =0.010
- cardiac anxiety B
- B=7.09; P =0.008
- posttraumatic stress B
- B=5.94; P =0.048
- adjusted for age, pre-SCAD mental health diagnosis, and employment status
Original publication
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it