Chronic heart conditions linked to depressive symptoms during COVID-19: retrospective findings from the national longitudinal survey of youth 97 cohort

Heart conditions and depression have a complex and possible bi-directional relationship. This study is an effort to provide some clarity situated within the frame of COVID-19.

The relationship between chronic heart conditions and depression-related outcomes was examined before and during the COVID-19 pandemic; this included feeling depressed, not being able to get “going,” restless sleep, feeling that everything was an effort, feeling sad, keeping the mind focused, and having a poor appetite. A retrospective study was performed using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 97 (NLSY97) dataset, with a sample size of 645 individuals. One-way multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) analyses were conducted to examine this relationship.

Before the pandemic, having a chronic heart condition was not linked with a higher risk for depressive symptoms relative to not having a heart condition. During the pandemic, having a chronic heart condition was significantly linked with a higher risk for depressive symptoms relative to not having a heart condition; this included not being able to get “going” (F (1, 645) = 5.048, p = .025, η²_p = .008) and restless sleep (F (1, 645) = 15.818, p < .001, η²_p = .024).

Targeted interventions should be advanced to address the elevated likelihood of depressive symptoms among individuals with chronic heart conditions during public health emergencies.