Abstract
AimThe aim was to compare coping strategies and quality of life (QoL) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) with such strategies and QOL in persons from two general Swedish populations and to investigate relationships between personal characteristics and coping strategies.DesignA cross‐sectional, comparative and correlational design was used to examine data from three sources.MethodsThe patient group (n = 124), defined using ICD‐10, was selected consecutively from two hospitals in central Sweden. The population group (n = 515) consisted of persons drawn randomly from the Swedish population. Data were collected with questionnaires in 2011; regarding QoL, Swedish population reference data from 1994 were used.ResultsOverall, women used more coping strategies than men did. Compared with the general population data from SF‐36, patients with CHF rated lower QoL. In the regression models, perceived low “efficiency in managing psychological aspects of daily life” increased use of coping. Other personal characteristics related to increased use of coping strategies were higher education, lower age and unsatisfactory economic situation.
Highlights
chronic heart failure (CHF) is one of the diseases that has great effects on quality of life (QoL) (Jaarsma, 2005), which include the physical, psychological and social dimensions as well as well-being (Kinney, Burfitt, Stullenbarger, Rees, & Read, 1996)
Persons with CHF often struggled with problems such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, helplessness, frustration, uncertainty and restrictions related to physical functioning and work
Co-morbidity disorders are common in these patients, which increases the difficulty of interpreting symptoms
Summary
CHF is one of the diseases that has great effects on QoL (Jaarsma, 2005), which include the physical, psychological and social dimensions as well as well-being (Kinney, Burfitt, Stullenbarger, Rees, & Read, 1996). Persons with CHF often struggled with problems such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, helplessness, frustration, uncertainty and restrictions related to physical functioning and work. These problems have a major impact on their daily life in the form of social isolation, living in fear and losing their sense of control (Jeon et al, 2010). Some studies have found that, compared with men, women with CHF rate themselves as having lower QoL (Friedman, 2003; Perez- Garcia et al, 2013), even after adjusting for age and number of diseases (Lesman-Leegte et al, 2009). Heo et al, (2007) reported no differences in QoL between women and men with CHF
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