By Judith Van Dongen, Photo: shironosov/iStock, Washington State University, February 14, 2022
Improving social support and connectedness could not only lower depression symptoms but also help reduce cardiovascular disease and death in older American Indians, according to a new analysis.
Led by scientists at Washington State University, the study used longitudinal data to explore the link between various psychological factors—such as stress, anger, cynicism, depression symptoms, quality of life and social support—and risk of cardiovascular events and death. The researchers found higher rates of heart disease and death in participants who reported depression symptoms, poor quality of life and social isolation. However, social support appears to mitigate that risk at least partially by lowering cynicism and anger, which the researchers identified as being linked to depression.
“Social support changes the association between depression and mortality in older American Indians, who face much higher mortality rates from cardiovascular disease as well as higher rates of depression symptoms than the general population,” said lead author Astrid Suchy-Dicey, a researcher with the WSU Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH) and an assistant professor in the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.
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