The Relationship Between Uncertainty in Illness and Quality of Life in Patients With Heart Failure: Multiple Mediating Effects of Perceived Stress and Coping Strategies

Background: Previous investigators have demonstrated that uncertainty in illness is associated with quality of life (QoL) in patients with chronic illness. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying the relationship in patients with heart failure.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the multiple mediating effects of perceived stress and coping strategies on the relationship between uncertainty in illness and QoL in patients with heart failure.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in 302 patients with heart failure recruited at a general hospital in China from October 2016 to September 2017. Uncertainty in illness, perceived stress, coping strategies, and QoL were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. The multiple mediation model was tested using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Results: Of the 302 patients, 51.7% had poor physical QoL and 45.7% had poor mental QoL (physical component summary or mental component summary score of <50 points). Uncertainty in illness had a significantly negative indirect effect on mental QoL through perceived stress and acceptance-resignation (indirect effect, -0.02; 95% confidence interval, -0.04 to -0.01). Uncertainty in illness also had a significantly negative indirect effect on mental QoL via perceived stress only (indirect effect, -0.18; 95% confidence interval, -0.26 to -0.09).

Conclusions: Poor QoL is prevalent in patients with heart failure. Perceived stress and acceptance-resignation are important mediating factors between uncertainty in illness and mental QoL in patients with heart failure. Interventions aimed at reducing perceived stress and acceptance-resignation coping may be beneficial for improving mental QoL in patients with heart failure.