Psychosocial Characteristics and Cardiovascular Risk in African Americans with Diabetes

This descriptive study examined the ability of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and perceived social support to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in African American adults (N = 57) with type 2 diabetes but no prior history of CVD events. All completed a questionnaire packet during structured interviews. Participants had CVD risk profiles that indicated a greater than 20% probability of experiencing a CVD event in the next 2 to 10 years based on diabetes status alone. The variance (10%) in CVD risk accounted for by the variables examined was not statistically significant, suggesting that other variables may be better predictors of CVD risk.