The Study of Psychological Risk Factors in Men and Women Referral to Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit in Kermanshah Imam Ali Hospital, 2013

Introduction: There is a clear gender differences in the epidemiology, clinical presentation, physiology, responding to diagnostic tests, interventions, as well as the prevalence of non psychological risk factors. This study was conducted to the study of psychological risk factors in cardiac rehabilitation men and women.

Methods: This study is cross-sectional. The study population consisted of all cardiac rehabilitation (CR) patients, who were referred to a CR in the Imam Ali hospital in Kermanshah in 2013. Among the patients selected 212 peoples (106 women and 106 men), as matched. Data were collected through clinical interview, Beck anxiety and depression questionnaires, Hudson marital stress index, and Buss and Perry Anger Questionnaire. The SPSS version 18 was used to analyze the data using methods of MANOVA, Chi-square test and T test.

Results: The mean age was 56.25 ± 9.1 years for women and 57.15 ± 9.1 years for men. The results showed that anxiety and depression is significantly higher in women than men (p<0.01). Conversely, men compared with their female counterparts have higher marital stress and anger (p<0.01).

Conclusion: Psychological risk factors and pathology of the cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is different in women and men and needs to specific diagnose and treatment strategies to females. Psychological risk factors for cardiac disease appear differently in men and women. Thus, each of these two groups need their own diagnosis and treatment strategies.