Aldo Aguirre-Camacho1, Bernardo Moreno-Jiménez2. 1. Health Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spainb- School of Biomedical Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Department of Biological and Health Psychology, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Asociación Nacional de Hipertensión Pulmonar, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: aldo.aguirre.c@gmail.com. 2. Department of Biological and Health Psychology, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension is a highly disabling condition characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary arterial pressure. Even though pulmonary hypertension may cause great emotional distress, research examining the determinants of patients' emotional well-being has been scarce and has mostly focused on the role of disease-related factors. OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether patients' emotional well-being may be effected by their life circumstances. METHODS: Sixty-four patients with pulmonary hypertension completed measures of symptoms of pulmonary hypertension, functional disability, depression and anxiety symptoms, life satisfaction, optimism, and quality of life (QoL). RESULTS: Clinically-significant symptoms of depression and anxiety were only accurately predicted in 50.5% and 56.5% of patients, respectively, based on disease severity alone. However, the addition of life satisfaction and optimism to the models improved the prediction of depressive and anxiety symptomatology. Further, symptoms of anxiety were a significant predictor of QoL, above and beyond disease severity. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with considerably different levels of disease severity may develop clinically-significant depressive and anxiety symptomatology. This suggests that there is not a perfect correspondence between the level of disease severity and the repercussions thereof across patients. Accordingly, these results suggest that emotional well-being may be better explained by taking into consideration patients' life circumstances, as these may modulate the repercussions of having pulmonary hypertension. The results also showed that anxiety symptoms constituted an extra burden to patients' QoL. The higher prevalence in this sample of clinically-significant symptoms of anxiety, compared to that of depression, suggest that feelings of fear and uncertainty may require special attention among patients with pulmonary hypertension.
BACKGROUND:Pulmonary hypertension is a highly disabling condition characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary arterial pressure. Even though pulmonary hypertension may cause great emotional distress, research examining the determinants of patients' emotional well-being has been scarce and has mostly focused on the role of disease-related factors. OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether patients' emotional well-being may be effected by their life circumstances. METHODS: Sixty-four patients with pulmonary hypertension completed measures of symptoms of pulmonary hypertension, functional disability, depression and anxiety symptoms, life satisfaction, optimism, and quality of life (QoL). RESULTS: Clinically-significant symptoms of depression and anxiety were only accurately predicted in 50.5% and 56.5% of patients, respectively, based on disease severity alone. However, the addition of life satisfaction and optimism to the models improved the prediction of depressive and anxiety symptomatology. Further, symptoms of anxiety were a significant predictor of QoL, above and beyond disease severity. CONCLUSIONS:Patients with considerably different levels of disease severity may develop clinically-significant depressive and anxiety symptomatology. This suggests that there is not a perfect correspondence between the level of disease severity and the repercussions thereof across patients. Accordingly, these results suggest that emotional well-being may be better explained by taking into consideration patients' life circumstances, as these may modulate the repercussions of having pulmonary hypertension. The results also showed that anxiety symptoms constituted an extra burden to patients' QoL. The higher prevalence in this sample of clinically-significant symptoms of anxiety, compared to that of depression, suggest that feelings of fear and uncertainty may require special attention among patients with pulmonary hypertension.
Authors: Inés Morán-Sánchez; Evdochia Adoamnei; María L Sánchez-Ferrer; María T Prieto-Sánchez; Julián J Arense-Gonzalo; Ana Carmona-Barnosi; Ana I Hernandez-Peñalver; Jaime Mendiola; Alberto M Torres-Cantero Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-02-28 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Aaron Shengting Mai; Oliver Zi Hern Lim; Yeung Jek Ho; Gwyneth Kong; Grace En Hui Lim; Cheng Han Ng; Cyrus Ho; Roger Ho; Yinghao Lim; Ivandito Kuntjoro; Edgar Tay; James Yip; Nicholas W S Chew; Ting-Ting Low Journal: Front Med (Lausanne) Date: 2022-02-17