The Role of LVEF, Health Related Quality of Life in Patients with CAD: Mediating Role of Illness Perceptions and Positive/Negative Affect

The objective of this study was to explain the role of LVEF, illness perceptions, and positive/negative affect in health related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with CAD and was to design a hypothesized model based on these variables. This study was conducted with a correlational method, in which 270 patients with CAD from Tehran Heart Center Hospital were selected by convenience sampling method and asked to answer Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) Short Form (I-PANAS-SF), Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ) and Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ). Data for LVEF of patients was obtained by echocardiography. The results of Structural Equation Modeling confirmed the hypothesized model regarding the effect of LVEF, illness perceptions and positive/negative affect on health related quality of life in patients with CAD. Besides, it showed that this model had an appropriate fitness. Direct effect of LVEF on HRQOL was stronger than it’s indirect effect through illness perception. Also, the direct and indirect effects of LVEF on HRQOL through positive/negative affect was not significant. These results suggest that LVEF, illness perceptions and positive/negative affect had an essential role in health related quality of life in patients with CAD. Therefore, it is necessary to provide interventions to increase LVEF and interventions focused on illness perceptions and positive/negative affect for these patients.