OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine psychological, psychophysiological, and anthropometric factors connected with life events, level of depression, and quality of life in people at risk for cardiovascular disease and healthy controls. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study involving arterial hypertension patients and healthy controls. There were several measurements including physical, anthropological, cardiovascular, and psychophysiological measurements and administration of questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 99 participants were recruited for this study, 54 healthy controls (mean age: 35.59±13.39 years) and 45 patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) (mean age: 46.33±12.39 years). The healthy controls and the patients with CVD significantly differed in the mean total score of life events, level of depression, quality of life score, temperature, blood pressure (BP), pulse transit time, heart rate, high-frequency total power, heart rate variability total power, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), body fat percentage, fat control, pulse wave velocity, and augmentation index. In healthy subjects, the total score of the life events was not correlated with any cardiovascular or anthropometric factor. A score of depression significantly correlated with the WHtR, augmentation index, body fat percentage, and fat control. The quality of life - visual scale correlated with the body temperature, BP, and percentage of body fat. In the group of the patients with CVD, the score of the life events did not correlate with any measured cardiovascular or anthropometric factor. The level of depression correlated with the augmentation index. The quality of life - visual scale significantly correlated with body temperature, WHtR, and fat control. CONCLUSION: The patients with CVD reported higher scores of life events, worse quality of life, and a greater level of depressive symptoms than healthy controls. In healthy controls, a higher mean total score of life events significantly negatively correlated with high-frequency total power, and the degree of depression correlated with being overweight. In patients with CVD, a score of depression was linked to being overweight.

1st Department of Internal Medicine Faculty of Medicine Pavol Josef Safarik University in Kosice

Department of Physiology and Biomedical Centre Martin Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin Comenius University in Bratislava Martin Slovakia

Department of Psychiatry Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry University Palacky Olomouc University Hospital Olomouc Olomouc Czech Republic

Department of Psychology Sciences Faculty of Social Science and Health Care Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra Nitra

Internal Medicine and Cardiology Private Practice MUDr Ivan Majercak Kosice

Psychagogia Liptovsky Mikulas Slovak Republic

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Relation of personality factors and life events to waist/height ratio and percentage of visceral fat in women and men

The differences between patients with panic disorder and healthy controls in psychophysiological stress profile

Coping, schemas, and cardiovascular risks - study protocol