PSYCHOSOCIAL AND CLINICAL FACTORS OF PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PRIMARY HYPERTENSION

Abstract

A quantitative descriptive research design was used, and the purposive sampling technique was used to recruit 70 people with primary hypertension for over a year. A Demographic Information Sheet, Clinical Information Sheet, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) and the (MINICHAL) were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, independent sample t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that psychological distress and compliance to medications had a significant effect on perceived QOL in primary hypertension patients. Increased depression, anxiety and stress were correlated with lower quality of life, while increased medication adherence was correlated with better quality of life. There was significant difference between the genders in terms of psychological distress, and between age groups in terms of psychological distress and medication adherence, and also between education levels and psychological distress and medication adherence. In general, the results highlight the importance of psychosocial factors in addition to clinical parameters in the quality of life of hypertensive patients. The study throws highlights on the need of taking a bio psychosocial approach in the management of primary hypertension. Intervention to relieve psychological distress and improve medication adherence could lead to better quality of life and health outcomes for those with hypertension. The results could offer some implications for health care providers when creating holistic and patient-focused interventions for the hypertensive population. Primary hypertension often leads to sick absenteeism and a decline in quality of life. Psychosocial factors, as well as clinical factors, are associated with hypertension-related sick absenteeism and psychological distress, which in turn is associated with decreased adherence to medication, and all of these are measured by the same instruments (DASS-21 and MINICHAL).