ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND HEART-DISEASE IN WOMEN

This is an extension of previous research that has reported on psychos ocial risk factors in women participants in the Recurrent Coronary Pre vention Project (RCPP). The RCPP women (N = 83) were under 65 years of age, non-diabetic, non-smoking and had experienced a myocardial infar ction (MI) at least 6 months prior to the study. Baseline data was ava ilable on 80 RCPP subjects. Seventy three non-smoking, coronary diseas e-free women participants in the Stanford-Sunnyvale Health Improvement Project (SSHIP) served as a control-comparison group. Women with coro nary heart disease had higher serum cholesterol than controls. There w ere no case-control differences in marital status, occupation, or numb er of children. RCPP women had Videotaped Structured Interview (VSI) T ype A scores comparable to those of the SSHIP women, but had significa ntly higher VSI-hostility scores (p < .01). In addition, the post-MI w omen were rated more anxious and depressed, and had more avoidance sym ptoms than controls (p < .01). Additional analyses involved the 65 RCP P women located at 8.5-year follow-up. In these women, univariate pred ictors of coronary recurrence (N = 13) were body mass index (kg/m)2, P eel Index, low time urgency (VSI) and high anxiety (p < .05). Employme nt status, marital status, and education were not associated with subs equent cardiac events. These exploratory analyses suggest that the rel ations between heart disease and hostility, anxiety, and depression in women deserve further investigation.