Abstract
Objective: Many patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators experience depressive symptoms. In addition, avoidance behavior is a common problem among patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. We examined the association between avoidance behaviors and depressive symptoms in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Method: We conducted a single-center, cross-sectional study with self-completed questionnaires between May 2010 and March 2011. We measured avoidance behaviors (avoidance of places, avoidance of objects, and avoidance of situations) and depressive symptoms (using the Beck Depression Inventory, Version II) in 119 participants. An avoidance behaviors instrument was developed for this study and we confirmed its internal consistency reliability. Results: Ninety-two (77.3%) patients were aged older than 50 years, and 86 (72.3%) were men. Fifty-one (42.9%) patients reported “avoidance of places”, 34 (28.6%) reported “avoidance of objects”, and 63 (52.9%) reported “avoidance of activity”. Avoidance behavior was associated with increased odds for the presence of depressive symptoms (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.06–1.62). Conclusions: This was the first study to identify the relationship between avoidance behavior and depressive symptoms among patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators; however, there are a few methodological limitations.
Translated title of the contribution | Avoidance behavior associated with depressive symptoms in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators |
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Original language | Spanish |
Pages (from-to) | 1-8 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2017 Jan 1 |
Keywords
- Arhythmia
- Avoidance behavior
- Cross-sectional study
- Depressive symptom
- Implantable cardioverter defibrillator
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Psychology