Abstract

According to previous studies in patients with Coronary artery disease (CAD), it is important to consider both medical conditions and psychological factors such as illness perceptions to explain differences in Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Patient’s illness perception is formed based on Patient’s beliefs and perceived information about their conditions, presumably influencing the individual’s mental health and how the patients deal with the medical conditions. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between illness perception and quality of life in patients with CAD. In this cross-sectional study, 99 CAD patients filled out questionnaires, including the brief illness perception questionnaire, the Health-related quality of life scale (SF36). The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression.When corrected for confounders, identity (β=−0.47) was associated with Physical Component (PCS). Identity and age explained 53 of the variation in PCS (R2=0.53). Personal control (β=0.20), identity (β=−0.23) and Emotional response (β=−0.25) were associated with Mental Component (MCS). They explained 47 of the variation in the Mental Component (R2=0.47) domain. This study showed that there is a relationship between illness perception and quality of life in patients with CAD. Better HRQoL was found in patients who have a better understanding of the disease, experience better personal control, and have less of a physical and mental response. Results from this study provide starting points for the development of interventions focusing on illness perceptions to support CAD patients in their disease management and to improve HRQoL. © 2018 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.