Emotional well-being of heart failure patients and their caregivers

Background: Heart failure (HF) dramatically affects the lives of both patients and their caregivers, yet limited research exists examining the relationship between emotional well-being of HF patients and their caregivers. Therefore, we conducted a study to (1) describe and compare the emotional well-being of HF patients and their caregivers, (2) determine if gender differences exist in emotional well-being of patients and caregivers, and (3) identify factors associated with emotional well-being of HF patients. Methods: The emotional well-being of 103 patient-caregiver dyads was assessed using the mental health subscale of the SF-12. Results: Patients were 57.6 +/- 12.1 years, predominantly Caucasian (76.7%) and male (67.0%). Caregivers were 59.5 +/- 17.6 years, predominantly females (70.9%) and spouses of patients with HF (82.6%). Patients had significantly lower (poorer) emotional well-being scores than caregivers. Both gender and age were associated with patients' emotional well-being; male and younger participants had higher (better) scores than female and older patients (P < .05). In a multivariate model, patient's age, gender, and caregivers' emotional well-being accounted for 54% of the variance in patients' emotional well-being. Conclusion: We found that the emotional well-being of caregivers is associated with the emotional well-being of HF patients. Our findings suggest the need to focus on supporting caregivers and providing them with the strategies they need to support their loved ones with HF.