Anxiety and depression predicted quality of life among patients with heart failure.

Purpose: Anxiety and depression are prevalent among patients with heart failure. However, their effect on the quality of life (QoL) is not well investigated in developing countries. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test the effect of anxiety and depression on QoL among Jordanian patients with heart failure.

Patients and methods: Two hundred patients with a confirmed diagnosis of heart failure from 1 governmental and 1 private hospital in Amman, Jordan, were recruited between March and August, 2017. A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used. Anxiety and depression were measured using the Arabic version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. QoL was measured using the Arabic version of the Short Form-36.

Results: Patients reported poor QoL in both physical component summary (M ± SD; 35.8±9.6) and mental component summary (M ± SD; 41.5±11.3). Prevalence rates for anxiety and depression were 62% and 65%, respectively. In stepwise regression analysis, anxiety and depression were independent predictors for poor QoL in both summaries, p <0.001.

Conclusion: Patients with heart failure have poor QoL and high anxiety and high depression prevalence rates. Inclusion of routine assessment and management of anxiety and depression in heart failure protocols is highly recommended.