Anxiety and Depression in Spouses of Cardiac Patients

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly apparent that although anxiety and depression are separate concerns, there is considerable overlap of clinical symptoms and pathophysiological processes. Research shows that comorbidities, anxiety, and depression are most common than either disorder alone. Coronary heart disease and mental illness are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Cardiac surgery places extensive stress on spouses who often are more worried than the patients themselves. Spouses can experience challenging and demanding situations when their partner becomes critically ill. In the present research, spouses showed normal anxiety levels, but when assessed separately, women’s anxiety scores were significantly higher compared to men. There was no significant difference between male and female spouses’ depression scores. Correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between anxiety and depression scores explaining that with rise in anxiety scores, there was an increase in depression scores in female spouses. Spouses who were unemployed felt overwhelmed with not being financially competent to manage expenses incurred for surgery and pre- and postoperative care. Lastly, a lack of social support led to anxiety in nuclear families.