Psychological Health and Ischemic Heart Disease in Women: A Review of Current Evidence and Clinical Considerations across the Healthspan

Psychological health encompasses a constellation of negative and positive factors—i.e., psychosocial stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, loneliness and social isolation, anger and hostility, optimism, and a sense of purpose. This narrative review presents current evidence at the intersection of psychological health, risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD), and IHD-related outcomes, with an emphasis on associations in women.

For women, relations between psychological health and IHD reflect important sex and gender differences in biological and psychosocial factors. Although efforts devoted to understanding psychological health and IHD risk have varied by psychological factor—scientific evidence is strongest for psychosocial stress and depression, while anxiety, trauma, and positive psychological factors warrant more investigation—less optimal psychological health is consistently associated with an earlier and greater risk of IHD morbidity and mortality in women. Still, many past prospective studies of psychological factors and IHD risk had a limited representation of women, did not include analyses by sex, or failed to account for other influential, sex-specific factors. Thus, there are multiple pathways for further, rigorous investigation into psychological health–IHD associations, mechanisms, and empirically supported psychological interventions to mitigate IHD risk among women.

Given the robust evidence linking psychological health with women’s risk for IHD, implementing routine, brief, psychological screening is recommended. Significant life events, developmental milestones specific to women, and IHD diagnoses or events could cue further psychological assessment and referral, efforts which will mutually strengthen the evidence for integrated psychological and IHD care and delivery of such care to this vulnerable group.