Evaluating emotional distress and health-related quality of life in patients with heart failure and their family caregivers: Testing dyadic dynamics using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model

Citation

Thomson P, Howie K, Leslie SJ, Angus NJ, Andreis F, Thomson R, Mohan ARM, Mondoa C & Chung ML (2020) Evaluating emotional distress and health-related quality of life in patients with heart failure and their family caregivers: Testing dyadic dynamics using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. PLOS ONE, 15 (1), Art. No.: e0227129. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227129

Abstract
Purpose 1) To compare levels of emotional symptoms and health-related quality of life between patients with heart failure and their family caregivers; and 2) to examine whether patients’ and caregivers’ emotional symptoms were associated with their own, as well as their partner’s health-related quality of life. Method In this cross-sectional study, 41 patients-caregiver dyads (78% male patients, aged 68.6 years; and 83% female caregivers, aged 65.8 years) completed all nine dimensions of the Brief Symptom Inventory and the Minnesota Living with Heart failure Questionnaire. Dyadic data were analysed for 6 sub-scales of the Brief Symptom Inventory, using the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model. Results There were no statistically significant differences in emotional symptoms and health-related quality of life between patients with heart failure and their caregivers. Patients’ and caregivers’ emotional symptoms were associated with their own health-related quality of life. Caregivers’ anxiety, phobic anxiety, obsession-compulsion, depression and hostility negatively influenced their partner’s (i.e. the patient’s) health-related quality of life. There were no partner effects of patients’ emotional symptoms on the health-related quality of life of caregivers. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that patients may be particularly vulnerable to the emotional distress, i.e. thoughts, impulses and actions of their caregivers. It may be possible to improve patients’ health-related quality of life by targeting specific detrimental emotional symptoms of caregivers.

Keywords
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; General Agricultural and Biological Sciences; General Medicine

Journal
PLOS ONE: Volume 15, Issue 1

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Dr Andrea Mohan

Research Assistant, Institute for Social Marketing