Stress in Women with Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Closer Look

Abstract Background: Women seem to be more susceptible to psychosocial stress than men, and stress is associated with worse outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Objectives: To investigate whether the female gender is an independent predictor of risk for stress and to compare stress levels between women and men after AMI. Methods: Cross-sectional study of a case series. Patients aged 18 to 65 years who were treated for AMI at the study facility between January 2017 and June 2018 were eligible. The presence of stress was assessed using Lipp's Stress Symptoms Inventory for Adults (ISSL), which categorizes stress into four phases (alertness, resistance, near-exhaustion, and exhaustion), through a list of physical and psychological symptoms. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 24.0. The significance level was set at p