Illness Perception After Heart Valve Surgery: Differences Among Men and Women

Malene Haugaard Hansen*, Jette Primdahl, Lars Riber, Ola Ekholm, Katrine Lawaetz Kristensen, Lars Thrysoee, Charlotte Brun Thorup, Rikke Mols, Anne Vinggaard Christensen, Trine Bernholdt Rasmussen, Selina Kikkenborg Berg, Britt Borregaard

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Illness perception is composed of thoughts, ideas, and beliefs about illness, and a negative illness perception is known to be associated with poor outcomes. Among men and women, clinical outcomes after heart valve surgery are known to differ, but knowledge about differences in illness perception is sparse.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to describe the differences in illness perception among men and women after open heart valve surgery and to identify sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with worse illness perception in men and women.

METHODS: In a national cross-sectional study combined with register-based clinical and sociodemographic information, data on illness perception were collected with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Worse illness perception was defined as the worst quartile of each item of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore characteristics associated with worse illness perception.

RESULTS: Of 1084 eligible patients, 32% (n = 349) completed the questionnaire (67% men; mean age, 68 years). Compared with men, women reported significantly worse scores of illness perception in 6 of 8 items. Furthermore, being female, age, length of stay, and comorbidity were associated with worse illness perception (worse quartile of scores). Age, higher educational level, and comorbidity were found to be associated with worse illness perception for men and length of stay for women.

CONCLUSION: After open heart valve surgery, illness perception differs among men and women, with women having worse illness perception. Among the total population, being female, age, a longer length of stay, and comorbidity were also associated with worse illness perception.

Original languageEnglish
JournalThe Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing
Volume36
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)329-339
Number of pages11
ISSN0889-4655
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Illness Perception After Heart Valve Surgery: Differences Among Men and Women'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this