Background:
Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with worse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. The Reserve Capacity Model (RCM) is a published, but not yet fully tested, framework linking SES, psychosocial factors and health outcomes. “Reserve capacity” is one's inter-/intrapersonal resources for managing stress. We tested the RCM to determine what portion of the association between SES and angina frequency 1 year post-MI is attributable to psychosocial factors.
Methods:
In 2481 post-MI patients enrolled in the 19-center PREMIER registry, we used confirmatory factor analysis to create latent variables of health-related SES and reserve capacity (including social support, optimism, and internal health locus of control). Structural equation modeling was used to test the associations between baseline SES, 1-month psychosocial factors (perceived stress, reserve capacity, and depressive symptoms) and 1-yr angina, adjusting for age, sex, and baseline angina.
Results:
The overall correlation between SES and 1-yr angina was significant (r = -.21*). Of this, 37% was explained by psychosocial factors. (See figure.) Higher SES was associated with greater reserve capacity (r = .43*), which was strongly and inversely associated with stress (r = -.68*) and depressive symptoms (r = -.36*). Depressive symptoms were directly associated with angina (r = .12*). (*p < .05)
Conclusion:
These results validate the RCM, showing that perceived stress, reserve capacity, and depressive symptoms partially mediate the link between SES and 1-yr angina post-MI. This identifies possible areas for intervention to reduce SES-related disparities in angina and potentially other CV outcomes.
Reserve Capacity Model for Optimizing Traffic Signal Timings with an Equity Constraint
