부산대학교 도서관

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify predictors of heart-focused anxiety in patients with heart failure. A better understanding of such predictors may help in detecting the comorbidity underlying heart-focused anxiety and identifying patients who need psychological help. Methods: In order to account for multiple sources of heart-focused anxiety, we included psychological, lifestyle, and medical/laboratory predictors. The study involved 148 patients, of whom 74 had a leading diagnosis of worsening heart failure and were hospitalized during the COVID-19 epidemic. A second group of 74 patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases without a diagnosis of acute heart failure, were examined in various out-patient cardiology clinics. The sample consisted of 37.8% females and 62.2% males, with an average age of 63.35 years. The patients completed the Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. Results: Patients with heart failure with higher levels of depression and intolerance of uncertainty had higher overall levels of heart-focused anxiety, higher levels of fear about chest and heart sensations. Older patients with higher levels of depression had higher levels of activity avoidance, especially activities believed to elicit cardiac symptoms. Cardiac patients with higher level of anxiety and with anaemia as comorbidity had higher levels of heart-focused attention and monitoring of cardiac activity. Conclusion: In patients with heart failure, the presence of heart-focused anxiety significantly reduces the quality of life, leads to avoidant behaviours, and is associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms. These patients are more likely to seek medical help and specialist services, but the need for psychological help is very rarely recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]