Posters
Presenting Author Academic/Professional Position
Undergraduate
Academic Level (Author 1)
Undergraduate
Academic Level (Author 2)
Undergraduate
Academic Level (Author 3)
Faculty
Discipline/Specialty (Author 3)
Neuroscience
Presentation Type
Poster
Discipline Track
Biomedical Science
Abstract Type
Research/Clinical
Abstract
Stroke, a type of cerebrovascular disease, is becoming exceedingly common, causing approximately 1 in every 6 deaths in the United States. Healthcare disparities are prevalent within stroke, particularly in Hispanics. Here, we sought to understand disparities that exist in individuals with a stroke who identified as Hispanic. Particularly, we sought to understand the severity of depression after stroke in a predominantly Hispanic region: Rio Grande Valley (RGV), Texas. We hypothesized that the prevalence of depression would be reduced in RGV while depression severity, particularly in areas regarding self-worth, would be increased. To evaluate our hypothesis we conducted a five-year retrospective chart review of the UTHealth RGV electronic medical record system. We evaluated ICD-10 codes for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. For all charts we evaluated patient demographics (e.g. age, sex, ethnicity), comorbidities (e.g. anxiety), medications, total clinical encounters and co-diagnosis of depression. For all charts with a diagnosis of depression, we evaluated the patient health questionnaire (PHQ)-9 and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)-7 at each encounter. Using collected data, we evaluated the risk and odds ratios to identify what factors influenced post-stroke depression prevalence and severity. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS, with a p<0.05 defined as significant. Our preliminary results suggest depression was more prevalent in females (68.9% vs. 31.1%, p<0.0001) within the RGV. The majority of individuals with depression identified as Hispanic or Latino (64.7%, p=0.0464). Diagnosis of stroke was very prevalent in the RGV, ranking as the 50th most common ICD-10 code encounter in our healthcare system (out of 14,380). Our results suggest that the RGV has a significant risk factor for both depression and stroke. We foresee that the machismo culture of the RGV likely is a strong influencing factor for our observed results. Further, since many individuals (~60% of the population) do not have health insurance, it is likely that our data is a lower estimate of actual presentation of disease and co-prevalence in the RGV. Based on our findings, future work will seek to develop surveys to identify the influence of machismo culture on severity of depression in the RGV. In addition, our data suggests that community and public health efforts should be targeted in the RGV to improve mental and neural health and awareness.
Recommended Citation
Garcia, Edrick; Perez, Mayrin A.; and Baker, Kelsey, "Prevalence and Severity of Depression after Stroke in South Texas: A Five-Year Retrospective Study" (2025). Research Symposium. 185.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/somrs/2025/posters/185
Included in
Prevalence and Severity of Depression after Stroke in South Texas: A Five-Year Retrospective Study
Stroke, a type of cerebrovascular disease, is becoming exceedingly common, causing approximately 1 in every 6 deaths in the United States. Healthcare disparities are prevalent within stroke, particularly in Hispanics. Here, we sought to understand disparities that exist in individuals with a stroke who identified as Hispanic. Particularly, we sought to understand the severity of depression after stroke in a predominantly Hispanic region: Rio Grande Valley (RGV), Texas. We hypothesized that the prevalence of depression would be reduced in RGV while depression severity, particularly in areas regarding self-worth, would be increased. To evaluate our hypothesis we conducted a five-year retrospective chart review of the UTHealth RGV electronic medical record system. We evaluated ICD-10 codes for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. For all charts we evaluated patient demographics (e.g. age, sex, ethnicity), comorbidities (e.g. anxiety), medications, total clinical encounters and co-diagnosis of depression. For all charts with a diagnosis of depression, we evaluated the patient health questionnaire (PHQ)-9 and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)-7 at each encounter. Using collected data, we evaluated the risk and odds ratios to identify what factors influenced post-stroke depression prevalence and severity. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS, with a p<0.05 defined as significant. Our preliminary results suggest depression was more prevalent in females (68.9% vs. 31.1%, p<0.0001) within the RGV. The majority of individuals with depression identified as Hispanic or Latino (64.7%, p=0.0464). Diagnosis of stroke was very prevalent in the RGV, ranking as the 50th most common ICD-10 code encounter in our healthcare system (out of 14,380). Our results suggest that the RGV has a significant risk factor for both depression and stroke. We foresee that the machismo culture of the RGV likely is a strong influencing factor for our observed results. Further, since many individuals (~60% of the population) do not have health insurance, it is likely that our data is a lower estimate of actual presentation of disease and co-prevalence in the RGV. Based on our findings, future work will seek to develop surveys to identify the influence of machismo culture on severity of depression in the RGV. In addition, our data suggests that community and public health efforts should be targeted in the RGV to improve mental and neural health and awareness.
