L’ottimismo può proteggere i pazienti affetti da scompenso cardiaco cronico dalla sintomatologia depressiva: relazione tra depressione, ansia, pessimismo e percezione di malattia
Anna Giardini, Antonia Pierobon, Simona Callegari, Angelo Caporotondi, Maria Stabile, Giulia Avvenuti, Giuseppina Majani
Recent literature focuses on positive aspects and resources in disease management. The aim of this
observational cross-sectional study is to investigate the relationships between illness perception,
dispositional optimism, anxiety and depressive symptoms in chronic heart failure patients. The
consecutively enrolled patients (n = 120) compiled the following questionnaires: Beck Depression
Inventory II, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Life Orientation Test-Revised and Brief Illness
Perception Questionnaire. 28.3% reported moderate/severe depressive symptomatology; 33.3% anxiety
above average. Overall, patients resulted optimistic. Perceived consequences on every day life,
symptoms experience, illness concern and emotional response to illness were related to depressive
symptoms and anxiety: the more the depressive symptoms, the higher the tendency to focus on
the illness and the higher the concern and emotional distress. On hierarchical regression analysis,
significant predictors of depressive symptomatology were age (Beta: 0.26; p = 0.002), anxiety (Beta:
0.30; p = 0.001), illness identity (Beta: 0.31; p = 0.003), and dispositional optimism (Beta: -0.20; p =
0.01) (42.1% variance explained; Adjusted R2 = 0.421). Taking into account the patient’s dispositional
optimism, age and symptoms experience may enable one to target early individuals at risk of depression
and, therefore, to tailor patient management. Patients should be helped in recognising and maintaining
positive aims and meaningful domains in their life, while accepting and integrating the inevitable
impact of the disease as a component of their existence.
Keywords
Scompenso cardiaco cronico, Depressione, Ansia, Ottimismo,
Rappresentazione mentale di malattia.
