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Subjective quality of life and emotional pain among subjects with heart failure in a West African Teaching Hospital


O.E. Aina
A.C. Mbakwem

Abstract

Objective: Heart failure (HF) is a common pathology worldwide. Associated emotional pain is an important risk factor of increased morbidity and secondary psychopathology.

Methods: Subjects in stable state of HF attending the cardiology clinic of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) were recruited into the study. World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref (WHOQoL-Bref), Psychache Scale (PAS) instruments were administered on subjects that consented to the study.

Results: One hundred and forty four (144) subjects of equal sex distribution were studied. The mean age was 31.7±10.2 years. The highest number of subjects, 57 (39.6%) rated their overall QoL as good; while 30 (20.8%) rated it as very poor. When the QoL score was dichotomized to good and poor, females subjects significantly scored lower with X2=5.69, p=0.017*.The mean score on PAS by the male subjects was 30.88±9.80; and for the females it was 29.90±9.95. For all the subjects combined, the overall mean score was 30.39±9.85, with range of 13-50. When the PAS scores were dichotomized, there was no significant gender difference. There were significant negative correlations between PAS scores and sociodemographic variables of age and educational levels; that is r=-0.212 with p=0.011*and r=-0.207 with p=0.013* respectively.

Conclusion: High number of subjects in our study had emotional pain which is an important risk factor of suicide.

Keywords: Quality of life, Heart failure, Emotional pain, Nigeria


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eISSN: 2467-8252
print ISSN: 2360-7793