Coping styles as predictors for quality of life and prognosis in patients at risk for or with a diagnosis of heart failure: Results from the observational DIAST-CHF study

Patients with heart failure often experience impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and have an increased risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive role of different coping styles on outcome. This longitudinal study included 1536 participants who either had cardiovascular risk factors or were diagnosed with heart failure. Follow-ups took place one, two, five and ten years after recruitment. Coping and HRQOL were investigated using self-assessment questionnaires (Freiburg Questionnaire for Coping with Illness, Short Form-36 Health Survey). Somatic outcome was quantified by incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and 6-min-walking-distance. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analysis showed significant associations between the coping styles used at the first three time points and HRQOL after five years. After adjusting for baseline HRQOL, minimization and wishful thinking predicted worse mental HRQOL (β = −0.106; p = 0.006), while depressive coping predicted worse mental (β = −0.197; p