Predicting quality of life in veterans with heart failure: The role of disease severity, depression, and comorbid anxiety

Jeffrey Cully, Laura Phillips, Mark Kunik, Melinda Stanley, Anita Deswal

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study focused on the relative contribution of heart failure (HF) disease severity, depression, and comorbid anxiety to quality of life for 96 ambulatory HF veterans (48 with and 48 without depressive symptoms). Primary analyses sought to predict HF quality of life using constructs including depression symptoms, comorbid anxiety symptoms, HF severity, medical-illness burden, and demographic factors. Multiple regression procedures found 3 significant predictors of better quality of life, including HF severity (β = -13.33, p < .001), depressive symptoms (β = -2.34, p = .003), and age (β = 0.76, p < .01). These results suggest that disease severity and depression, but not necessarily comorbid anxiety, significantly affect quality of life for HF patients. As HF is a progressive, deteriorating condition, mental health interventions, especially those that target depression, might offer opportunities for improved quality of life for HF patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)70-76
Number of pages7
JournalBehavioral Medicine
Volume36
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2010
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Anxiety
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Depression
  • Mental health services
  • Quality of life

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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