Quality of life, psychological resilience, personality traits and illness perception in grown-up congenital heart patients in Hong Kong

Abstract

BackgroundStudies suggested heterogeneity of physical and psychological predictors of quality of life (QOL) among congenital heart disease patients. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the interrelationships of QOL, health status, resilience, personality traits, illness perception, and clinical data of grown-up congenital heart (GUCH) patients in a tertiary center in Hong Kong. MethodsGUCH patients (N ​= ​208, male ​= ​103) were invited to complete self-report questionnaires: 36-item Short Form Health Survey version 2 (SF36), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (RISC), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEOFFI-3); results on these measures were compared to 104 healthy peers. GUCH patients also completed Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ). Disease complexity, illness severity, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and Warnes-Somerville Ability Index (WSAI) grades of patients were obtained. The interrelationships between these patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures, clinical indices and functional status were assessed. ResultsQOL scores and health status were lower in GUCH patients than healthy peers, and were associated with greater disease severity and worse functional class (all p-values < 0.01). SWLS and health status correlated positively with RISC, but negatively with HADS and negative illness perception (all p ​< ​0.001). In multivariate regression, lower RISC, negative illness perception, and greater neuroticism were predictors of lower SWLS (all p ​< ​0.05); higher WSAI grade, lower RISC and negative illness perception were predictors of lower PCS (all p ​< ​0.05); and greater neuroticism and HADS were predictors of lower MCS (all p ​< ​0.01). ConclusionsReduced QOL and health status among GUCH patients were associated with both clinical and psychological attributes. Resilience and illness perception might be the potential targets of intervention.