Relationship between family environment, marital commitment, spousal support and self-care behavior among heart failure diseases: A structural equation modeling study

Heart disease affects not only the patient but also his family. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between family environment, marital commitment, spousal support and self-care behavior among heart failure diseases.

This study was a correlational study using structural equation modeling. The statistical population of this study was heart failure patients referring to health centers in Kerman city in 1397. A total of 200 patients were selected by available sampling. The data gatherd using self-care behaviors questionnaire (jaarsma & et al, 2003), marital commitment questionnaire (Stanley & Markman 1992), Family environment questionnaire (Moos & Moos, 1986), andspouse support Questionnaire (Sallis & et al, 1987) and analyzed by Pearson's correlation, regression analysis and structural modeling modeling.

The finding showed that the family environment and the spousal support could significantly predict self-care behaviors in patients (p<0.05) but the predicting role of marital commitment was not significant (p>.05). Findings of structural equation modeling showed that family environment influenced patients self-care behaviors by increasing their spousal support.

the results showed that spousal support has a significant mediating role in the relationship between family environment and self-care behaviors of cardiac patients and marital commitment has not a significant role in model predicting self-care behaviors.