Stuifbergen, Alexa M.711278052008-08-282017-05-112008-08-282017-05-112005http://hdl.handle.net/2152/2355textThis descriptive correlational study used a convenience sample of 98 individuals with Heart Failure (HF) ages 55 to 97 years (M = 74.4, SD= 10.5) to explore the relationships between the illness representations, HF self-care behaviors, and healthrelated quality of life (HRQOL). The majority of the sample was male (59%). While most of the participants were Anglo, 12% were African-American and 9% identified themselves as Latino/Hispanic. Participants had been living with their diagnosis for a median time of 3.5 years (M = 6.1 years, SD = 8.12). Each experienced, on average, at least one hospitalization due to HF in the past 12 months (M = 1.1 visits, SD = 2.02) with the median time since admission for the entire group at 1.1 years (M = 2.1 years, SD = 3.13). Approximately 65% of the group were functionally impaired (Class III/IV) according to the Specific Activity Scale (SAS). The average-item Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R) scores indicated participants viewed their HF as having serious consequences (M = 3.57, SD = .88) and a chronic course (M = 3.89, SD = 1.03), being under their personal (M = 4.11, SD = .55) and medical (M = 3.65, SD = .63) control but still exhibiting cyclical disruptions in their lives (M = 2.84, SD = .90). Respondents were neutral on the internal (M = 2.55, SD = .78) and external (M = 2.44, SD = .59) causal attribution subscales. Scores on the Self-Care of HF Index (SCHFI) did not correlate significantly with the IPQ-R subscales or scores on the Living with HF Questionnaire (LHFQ). Using hierarchical regression, SAS functional classification (Β =9.96, p <.01), identity (Β =2.01, p <.01), and consequences (Β =1.20, p <.01) explained 64% of the total variance in LHFQ scores. SCHFI total scores did not account for a significant increase in the variance of the LHFQ scores. Implications and recommendations for future studies are discussed.electronicengCopyright is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works.Heart failure--Psychological aspectsHeart--Diseases--PatientsSick--PsychologySelf-care, HealthQuality of lifeThesis