Relationship between anxiety and depressive symptoms and social support in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Amanda da Silva Monteiro, Gustavo Carvalho de Lima Queiroz, Rayana Pereira Feitosa and 4 others
PMID 42561271WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with atrial fibrillation who reported more affectionate support, emotional/informational support, and positive social interaction had lower depression scores.
Social support was not linked to anxiety symptoms.
Key findings
0160.8% of participants had anxiety symptoms, and 38.2% had depressive symptoms.
02Depressive symptom scores were weakly and negatively associated with affectionate support, emotional/informational support, and positive social interaction.
03Anxiety symptom scores were not associated with any social support dimension.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that social support reduces depressive symptoms or that depressive symptoms reduce support. The sample was a convenience sample from one hospital outpatient clinic, so the results may not apply to other settings or patients with atrial fibrillation. The correlations were weak, so they should not be treated as a strong basis for changing care. Patients receiving treatment for anxiety or depression or taking anxiolytic or antidepressant medications were excluded, so the findings may not apply to people with treated psychological symptoms. Self-reported symptoms and support may have been affected by social desirability and recall bias.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that social support prevents or treats depressive symptoms in atrial fibrillation. This was a cross-sectional study with weak correlations, and it cannot show cause and effect. It also found no association between social support and anxiety symptoms.