The moderating role of social support in the relationship between psychological hardiness and perceived stress in cardiovascular patients

Experiencing high levels of stress in cardiovascular patients is a common phenomenon that can endanger their health. The aim of this study was to investigate the moderating role of social support in the relationship between psychological hardiness and perceived stress in cardiovascular patients.

The method of this study was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of the study included cardiovascular patients referred to cardiac hospitals and cardiac rehabilitation centers in Tehran in 1398, of which 151 people were selected as the sample group by purposive sampling. Data collection tools included a perceived stress questionnaire, a multidimensional perceived social support questionnaire, and psychological hardiness questionnaire. Pearson correlation coefficient and regression methods were used to analyze the data using SPSS software version 22.

According to the results, social support and psychological hardiness had a significant negative correlation coefficient with perceived stress at the level of 0.01. The results of regression analysis showed that social support had a moderating role in the relationship between psychological hardiness and perceived stress and the interaction effect of psychological hardiness and social support was able to explain 30% of the variance of perceived stress.

In cardiovascular patients, they can be helped to reduce perceived stress by strengthening social support and psychological hardiness.