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.

Funding for this work was received from The American Nurses Association, The Howell Foundation of Houston, Texas Woman's University Closing the Gap Fund, and the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston School of Nursing PARTNERS Fund. We gratefully thank the 45 women who participated in the study. We fondly thank “Ellen” for offering her story as the introduction to this article and the guiding light for the research team.