Cardiovascular disease, self-care and emotional regulation processes in adult patients: balancing unmet needs and quality of life

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is a chronic non-communicable illness that causes more than half of all deaths across Europe. Unhealthy lifestyle, inadequate adherence to medical prescriptions, themselves associated with psycho-emotional disorders are considered risk factors for reduced quality of life as well physical condition. OBJECTIVE: Aim of our study was to understand predictive factors for disease management by evaluating psychological aspects, self-care processes and emotional regilati0on in CVD outpatients. METHODS: An observational study was conducted. Sixty-one patients, age 18–75 years (M 56.4 ± sd 12.0), diagnosed with CVD participated in the study. The psychological battery was administered during clinical follow-up oriented to detect emotional and psychological dimensions as well adaptive behavioral and quality of life by standardized questionnaire/scales. RESULTS: Finding showed that emotional dysregulation might influence QoL, particularly significant effect of awareness (β= 0.022; SE = 1.826; p < 0.002), goals (β = - 0.54; SE = 1.48; p < 0.001) and clarity (β = - 0.211; SE = 2.087; p < 0.003). The results also suggest that the mediated effect accounted for awareness index was 18.7% (R(2) = 0.187) of the variance; goals index 62.8% (R(2) = 0.628) of the variance and, then significant mediated effect of clarity was 58.8% (R(2) = 0.588) of the variance. This evidence suggests that the relationship between triggers and QoL is mediated by emotional dysregulation indexes. CONCLUSION: In clinical practice psychological screening can be an effective tool for detecting predictive factors in the management of the CVD patient's health and adherence to medical treatment: the screening of predictive psychological factors for allowing a good clinical condition management and a self-care empowerment aimed at increasing psychological well-being and the Quality of Life by planning adequate integrated and multidisciplinary support.