283636
Effects of stress and self-efficacy on health-related quality of life among women with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome
Cynthia W. Symons, D.Ed., CHES
,
School of Health Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH
Kele Ding, Ph.D., MD.
,
School of Health Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH
Barbara Gordon, RD
,
Interstitial Cystitis Association, McLean, VA
Ashwini R. Sehgal, MD
,
School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
C.A. Tony Buffington, DVM, PhD, DACVN
,
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Background/Purpose: Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a chronic condition with the potential to exert substantial influence on quality of life. The American Urological Association (AUA) now recommends patient education, stress management, and self-care as first-line treatments to improve quality of life in IC/BPS patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between stress, self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among women living with IC/BPS in the United States. Methods: 1387 adult women diagnosed with IC/BPS were recruited to provide responses to a web-based survey. This survey contained validated scales, for a total of 155 items, measuring HRQOL, stress, self-efficacy, and demographic variables. Descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, and linear regression were used to analyze the data. Results: Statistically significant (p < .001) correlations were revealed between HRQOL and stress (r = -0.63), as well as HRQOL and self-efficacy (r = 0.80). HRQOL increased as self-efficacy increased but decreased as stress increased. As a statistically significant (p < .001) partial mediator, self-efficacy was found to explain approximately 34% of the total effect of stress on HRQOL. Discussion/Conclusions: Both stress and self-efficacy were confirmed to be associated with HRQOL. Self-efficacy explained a portion of the association between stress and HRQOL. These results highlight the importance of the AUA's recommendations and present a challenge to health promotion, a discipline uniquely qualified to implement those recommendations.
Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Learning Objectives:
Discuss the effects of stress and self-efficacy on health-related quality of life in women with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome in the United States.
Describe how health education and promotion professionals are uniquely suited to play a significant role in improving the health-related quality of life of this population.
Keywords: Quality of Life, Chronic Illness
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am currently a research health scientist with the Veterans Health Administration and have over six years of professional experience in academia. I received my Master of Public Health from Case Western Reserve University and my PhD in Health Education and Promotion from Kent State University. I have been engaged in mixed methodological research in this patient population for the past decade and have spoken at numerous state and national conferences on this topic.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
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