The ​Role of ​Psychological ​Flexibility in ​Heart ​Failure: Structural ​Equation ​Model ​Analysis

Background: The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Model has gained empirical support, with limited evidence on the role of psychological flexibility in persons with heart failure. Objective: To examine the role of psychological flexibility in persons with heart failure. Methods: A total of 172 persons with heart failure from three major referral hospitals participated in the study. A proposed model based on the acceptance and commitment therapy was tested. Results: The results showed that the path between psychological flexibility and emotional outcomes is statistically significant. Psychological flexibility explained 52% of the variance. On the other hand, the path between psychological flexibility and behavioral outcomes was not significant. Conclusions: This study suggests that psychological flexibility plays a significant role in determining emotional outcomes in persons with heart failure. Implications to Nursing: Nurses need to assess persons with compromised psychological flexibility as a predictor of adverse emotional outcomes. Targeting psychological flexibility may improve stress and depression in persons with heart failure. Keywords: Psychological flexibility, Heart failure, Acceptance and commitment therapy, Depression, Stress.