E36 - Sex differences in the psychological profiles of patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD): Preliminary data from the MINDSET Study
Time: 05:00 PM - 05:50 PMTopics: Cardiovascular Disease, Mental Health
Poster Number: E36
Background: Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) is an increasingly recognized cause of acute coronary syndrome, especially in females. Psychological distress before and after SCAD appears common, yet sex differences remain understudied. Exploring these differences could guide tailored interventions to improve mental and cardiac outcomes for both sexes. This study aimed to characterize sex differences in psychological profiles of patients with SCAD.
Methods: Adult patients diagnosed with SCAD within the past 3 years were recruited from 7 cardiac care hospitals across Canada. Participants completed questionnaires assessing sociodemographics and validated psychological measures including: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for generalized anxiety, Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ) for cardiac-related anxiety, and PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) for posttraumatic stress symptoms. Sex differences were analyzed using t-tests for continuous and chi-square tests for categorical variables.
Results: The study included 285 participants (84.0% female; 75.4% White; mean age = 53.3 years). Females and males reported similar rates of emotional stressors prior to SCAD (53%), however, females had higher rates of pre-existing mental health conditions (30.7% vs. 9.1%, p = .032) and were more likely to receive psychopharmaceutical treatment (37.0% vs 10.0%, p = .015). After SCAD, females reported significantly higher scores (mean ± range) than males on the PHQ-9 (6.5±5.6 vs. 3.2±2.8, p < .001), CAQ (27.6±12.2 vs. 14.5±3.2, p = .003), and PCL-5 (14.7±14.8 vs. 7.6±8.4, p = .001). Similarly, the proportion of females with scores in the clinically diagnostic range on post-SCAD testing were higher than males for the following mental health measures: 25.1% vs 0% for depression, 21.3% vs 4.5% for anxiety, 55.4% vs 20.0% for cardiac anxiety, and 13.9% vs 0% for traumatic stress.
Conclusion: Our preliminary findings suggest that females with SCAD not only have higher rates of preexisting mental health conditions but also experience significantly more psychological distress post-SCAD compared with males. These results highlight the need for routine psychological screening and the potential development of tailored interventions to improve mental health outcomes and overall recovery after SCAD, especially in females.
Keywords: Cardiovascular disease, Mental healthMethods: Adult patients diagnosed with SCAD within the past 3 years were recruited from 7 cardiac care hospitals across Canada. Participants completed questionnaires assessing sociodemographics and validated psychological measures including: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for generalized anxiety, Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ) for cardiac-related anxiety, and PTSD Checklist (PCL-5) for posttraumatic stress symptoms. Sex differences were analyzed using t-tests for continuous and chi-square tests for categorical variables.
Results: The study included 285 participants (84.0% female; 75.4% White; mean age = 53.3 years). Females and males reported similar rates of emotional stressors prior to SCAD (53%), however, females had higher rates of pre-existing mental health conditions (30.7% vs. 9.1%, p = .032) and were more likely to receive psychopharmaceutical treatment (37.0% vs 10.0%, p = .015). After SCAD, females reported significantly higher scores (mean ± range) than males on the PHQ-9 (6.5±5.6 vs. 3.2±2.8, p < .001), CAQ (27.6±12.2 vs. 14.5±3.2, p = .003), and PCL-5 (14.7±14.8 vs. 7.6±8.4, p = .001). Similarly, the proportion of females with scores in the clinically diagnostic range on post-SCAD testing were higher than males for the following mental health measures: 25.1% vs 0% for depression, 21.3% vs 4.5% for anxiety, 55.4% vs 20.0% for cardiac anxiety, and 13.9% vs 0% for traumatic stress.
Conclusion: Our preliminary findings suggest that females with SCAD not only have higher rates of preexisting mental health conditions but also experience significantly more psychological distress post-SCAD compared with males. These results highlight the need for routine psychological screening and the potential development of tailored interventions to improve mental health outcomes and overall recovery after SCAD, especially in females.
Authors and Affliiates
Author: Lisa-Marie Maukel, PhD, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON, CanadaCo-Author: Thais Coutinho, PhD, Mayo Clinic Cardiology, Rochester, MN, USA
Co-Author: Sharon Mulvagh, MD, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Co-Author: Christine Pacheco, MD, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
Co-Author: Karen Bouchard, PhD, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada; University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Co-Author: Derek So, MD, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada; University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Co-Author: Mina Madan, MD, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Co-Author: Jacqueline Saw, MD, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Co-Author: Jennifer Reed, PhD, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada; University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Co-Author: Shuangbo Liu, MD, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Co-Author: Louise Sun, MD, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
Co-Author: Helen Robert, Patient partner of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Co-Author: Nadia Lappa, Patient partner of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Co-Author: Heather Tulloch, PhD, C. Psych, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada; University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
E36 - Sex differences in the psychological profiles of patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD): Preliminary data from the MINDSET Study
Category
Scientific > Rapid Communication Poster