Abstract
Objectives: Objectives of this study were to: (1) describe perceived social support during a baseline hospitalization and 12 months later among heart failure patients; (2) examine differences in social support as a function of gender and age (less than 65 and 65 years or older); and (3) examine social support as a predictor of health-related quality of life. Background: Social support is a predictor of well-being and mortality, but little is known about support patterns among heart failure patients and how they influence quality of life. Methods: The sample included 227 hospitalized patients with heart failure who completed the Social Support Survey and the Chronic Heart Failure Questionnaire at baseline; 147 patients completed these questionnaires again 12 months after baseline. Results: Mean baseline and 12-month total support scores were 56 and 53, respectively, with a score of 76 indicating the most positive perceptions of support. The ANOVA indicated significant interactions of gender by age for total (F = 5.04; p = 0.03) and emotional/informational support (F = 4.87; p = 0.03) and for positive social interactions (F = 4.43; p = 0.04), with men under age 65 perceiving less support than men aged 65 and older and women in either age group. Baseline support did not predict 12-month health-related quality of life, but changes in social support significantly predicted changes in health-related quality of life (R 2 = 0.14). Conclusions: Overall, perceptions of support were moderate to high, but there was wide variation in perceptions over time. Men under age 65 reported less support than other groups of patients. Importantly, changes in social support were significant predictors of changes in health-related quality of life.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Heart Association. 1998 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update. Dallas, TX: American Heart Association, 1998. www.amhrt.org/1999/stats/OCardDis.html.
Croft JB, Giles WH, Pollard RA, et al. Heart failure survival among older adults in the United States. Arch Intern Med 1999; 159: 505–510.
Dracup K, Walden JA, Stevenson LW, Brecht M. Quality of life in patients with advanced heart failure. J Heart Lung Transplant 1992; 11: 273–279.
Konstam V, Salem D, Pouleur H, et al. Baseline quality of life as a predictor of mortality and hospitalization in 5025 patients with congestive heart failure. Am J Cardiol 1996; 78: 890–895.
Cohn JN. Physiological variables as markers for symptoms, risk, and interventions in heart failure. Circulation 1993; 87(Suppl VII): VII–110–VII–114.
Wilson IB, Cleary PD. Linking clinical variables with health-related quality of life. JAMA 1995; 273: 59–65.
Bennett SJ, Cordes DK, Westmoreland G, Castro R, Donnelly E. Self-care strategies for symptom management in patients with chronic heart failure. Nurs Res 2000; 49: 139–145.
Riedinger MS, Dracup KA, Brecht M, Padilla G, Sarna L, Ganz PA. Quality of life in patients with heart failure: Do gender differences exist? Heart Lung 2001; 30: 105–116.
Chin MH, Goldman L. Gender differences in 1–year survival and quality of life among patients admitted with congestive heart failure. Med Care 1998; 36: 1033–1046.
Richardson LG. Women and heart failure. Heart Lung 2001; 30: 87–97.
Levy D, Larson M, Vasan R. The progression from hypertension to congestive heart failure. JAMA 1996; 275: 1557–1666.
Shindler D, Kostis J, Yusuf S, et al. Diabetes mellitus: A predictor of morbidity and mortality in the studies of left ventricular dysfunction (SOLVD) trials and registry. Am J Cardiol 1996; 77: 1017–1020.
Cohen S, Mermelstein R, Kamarck T, Hoberman H. Measure the functional components of social support. In: Sarason I (ed), Social Support: Theory, Research, and Applications, Holland: Martines Nijhoff, 1985.
Sherbourne CD, Stewart AL. The MOS social support survey. Soc Sci Med 1991; 32: 705–714.
Berkman LF, Vaccarino V, Seeman T. Gender differences in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality: The contribution of social networks and support. Ann Behav Med 1993; 15: 112–118.
Ornish D. Love and Survival. New York: Harper Collins, 1998.
Krumholz H, Butler J, Miller J, et al. Prognostic importance of emotional support for elderly patients hospitalized with heart failure. Circulation 1998; 97: 958–964.
Friedman M, King KB. The relationship of emotional and tangible support to psychological well-being among older women with heart failure. Res Nurs Health 1994; 17: 433–440.
Konstam M, Dracup K, Baker D, et al. Heart Failure: Evaluation and Care of Patients with Left-ventricular Systolic Dysfunction. Clinical Practice Guideline No. 11. AHCPR Publication No. 94–0612. Rockville, MD: Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Public Health Service, US Department of Health and Human Services, June 1994.
Packer M, Cohn JN (eds). Consensus recommendations for the management of chronic heart failure. Am J Cardiol 1999; 83(Suppl 2A): 18A–20A.
Murray MD, Tierney WM, Brater DC. Determining the effectiveness of torsemide and furosemide in heart failure. Clin Drug Invest 1998; 16(1): 45–52.
Bennett SJ, Baker SL, Huster GA. Quality of life in women with heart failure. Health Care Women Int 1998; 19: 217–219.
Bennett SJ, Pressler ML, Hays L, Firestine LA, Huster GA. Psychosocial variables and hospitalization in persons with chronic heart failure. Prog Cardiovasc Nurs 1997; 12: 4–11.
Guyatt GH, Nogradi S, Halcrow S, et al. Development and testing of a new measure of health status for clinical trials in heart failure. J Gen Intern Med 1989; 4: 101–107.
Guyatt GH, Sullivan MJJ, Fallen E, et al. A controlled trial of digoxin in congestive heart failure. Am J Cardiol 1988; 61: 371–375.
Guyatt G, Feeny DH, Patrick DL. Measuring health-related quality of life. Ann Intern Med 1993; 118: 622–629.
Berg RL, Casells JS (eds). The Second Fifty Years: Promoting Health and Preventing Disability. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1990.
SAS/STAT User's Guide, Version 6, 4th ed. Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc, 1989; 1–2.
Krumholz HM, Chen YT, Wang Y, Vaccarino V, Radford MJ, Horwitz RI. Predictors of readmission among elderly survivors of admission with heart failure. Am Heart J 2000; 139: 72–77.
Karmilovich SE. Burden and stress associated with spousal caregiving for individuals with heart failure. Prog in CV Nurs 1994; 9: 33–38.
Bohachick P, Anton BB. Psychosocial adjustment of patients and spouses to severe cardiomyopathy. Res Nurs Health 1990; 13: 385–392.
Friedman MM. Social support sources among older women with heart failure: Continuity versus loss over time. Res Nurs Health 1997; 20: 319–327.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bennett, S., Perkins, S., Lane, K. et al. Social support and health-related quality of life in chronic heart failure patients. Qual Life Res 10, 671–682 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013815825500
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013815825500