Health-related quality of life and self-efficacy among patients with cardiovascular diseases: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to meta-analyse the association between health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) and self-efficacy beliefs (SE) among patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Furthermore, the role of potential moderators (e.g., patients’ age, the type of CVD diagnosis) of this relationship was examined. Methods: A systematic 5 databases search was performed to obtain relevant studies. Correlation coefficients were used as the effect size indicator. Findings from 17 studies including 4,048 participants were analysed. Effects of the following moderators were tested: the type of measurement of HR-QoL and SE, the type of CVD diagnosis, mean age of participants, cultural differences, and study design. Findings: Results revealed a significant small-to-moderate mean effect size of the association between HR-QoL and SE (0.369, p < .000). The results of moderation analyses indicated that the effect was significantly stronger when: (1) a generic HR-QoL measures were used, compared to disease-specific; (2) SE beliefs for physical activity or general SE beliefs were assessed, comparing to disease-specific beliefs; and (3) in patients scheduled for or patients who have underwent a surgical intervention before the assessment compared to those with heart failure or coronary heart disease (no recent surgery). Discussion: The strength of the self-efficacy - HR-QoL relationship depends on HR-QoL and SE measurement and the CVD treatment. This should be taken into account when designing and evaluating interventions addressing SE or HR-QoL.