The Relationship Between Social Support and Self-care in Patients With Heart Failure: The Role of Illness Related Worries as a Mediator

Heart failure (HF), as a chronic disease, is a progressive and debilitating problem in communities. In previous studies, the role of self-care in HF has been emphasized. Illness-related worries and social support are associated with self-care. The aim of this study is to explore the role of illness-related worries as a mediator in the relationship between social support and self-care in patients with HF.
This descriptive and correlational study was conducted on 149 HF patients based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, in 2016. Patients were selected using availability sampling. For data collection, a demographic information questionnaire, self-care behavior scale, illness-related worries questionnaire, and social support scale were used. In addition, the Pearson correlation coefficient and Sobel test were also conducted.
Sobel test results was used for understanding the mediating role of illness related-worries (P This study showed that illness related worries can serve as a mediator in the relationship between social support and self-care. There was a significant correlation between the research variables.