Predictors of Depressive Symptoms among Patients with Heart Failure in Jordan. A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and aim: Heart failure (HF) is a serious health problem in developed and developing countries. The prevalence of depressive symptoms (DS) among patients with HF is high and it might reach up to more than 96%. Depressive symptoms among patients with HF are associated with worse outcomes including recurrent admissions and poor quality of life. Identifying predictors of DS can help in controlling these factors and thereafter these DS leading to better outcomes for this population. This study aimed to identify the most important predictors of DS among patients with HF.
Materials and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional correlational design was used with a convenience sample of 300 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of HF recruited from one governmental and one private hospital in Amman, Jordan. Depressive symptoms were measured using Beck Depression Inventory-II, while sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were collected either by patient interviews or medical records reviews. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of DS.
Results: 209 males and 91 females participated in this study. As independent predictors of DS, older people, females, higher levels of New York Heart Association, and a history of diabetes and hypertension increased the severity of DS. On the contrary, higher levels of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction were protective against DS. Every unit increase in Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction decreased DS by 45%.
Conclusion: Identifying patients at risk for developing DS is critical to provide necessary assessment and management for them which might improve the quality of their lives, and prognosis.