Background/Objectives: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) significantly affects mental health, with gender-specific differences being observed in psychological responses. This pilot study aimed to explore these differences in the demographic, clinical, psychological, psychiatric, and social profile of patients diagnosed with IHD. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used, recruiting 183 adult patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease and depression at the Psychiatry Department of Arad County Emergency Hospital, Romania, between May 2021 and May 2024. Data were collected using a self-developed tool, named the Depression Assessment in Ischemic Heart Disease Questionnaire (DA-IHDQ), alongside standardized assessments. Statistical analysis was performed using JASP statistical software (Version 0.19.1, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands), employing binomial and multinomial tests for categorical data, and Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess internal consistency. Results: This study found significant demographic differences, with female patients exhibiting higher levels of emotional distress and severe depression compared with the male subjects. Women reported greater social isolation and a stronger desire to seek for psychological or psychiatric support. Furthermore, a positive correlation between depression severity and physical symptoms was observed in both genders. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of recognizing gender-specific responses to IHD, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions in mental healthcare and cardiac rehabilitation. Future research should further explore these differences to enhance the understanding of the psychosocial/psychiatric aspects of IHD and improve patient outcomes.

This study examined whether pre-existing situational motivation correlates with the magnitude of performance improvement elicited by verbal encouragement (VE) in long jump. A total of 134 physically active sports science students (21.1 ± 1.4 years) performed a long jump task under two conditions: with and without peer VE. Situational motivation, differentiated into autonomous (Intrinsic Motivation [IM], Identified Regulation [IR]) and controlled (External Regulation [ER], Amotivation [AM]) forms, was assessed immediately prior to trials using the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS). Performance improvement was calculated as the percentage change (Δ%) between conditions. Paired t-tests evaluated the overall effect of VE, while multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the predictive relationship between situational motivation subscales and performance gains (Δ%), with sex included as a covariate. The results showed that VE significantly enhanced performance across both sexes (p < 0.001; d = 1.109–1.331). The regression models indicated that Δ% was positively predicted by autonomous forms of motivation (IM: R² = 0.252; IR: R² = 0.262) and negatively predicted by controlled forms (ER: R² = 0.27; AM: R² = 0.249). Sex was not a significant predictor in any model (p > 0.05), indicating that all observed relationships were consistent across both male and female participants. These findings indicate that the performance-enhancing effect of VE in long jump is associated with the initial motivational state of the practitioners, being greater in autonomously motivated individuals and attenuated in those with controlled motivation. Consequently, situational motivation should be assessed before implementing VE in long jump, as its effectiveness is limited in individuals with low autonomous drive and may require preliminary strategies to enhance task engagement.