Relationship between perceived social support and self-care of patients with heart failure

ObjectiveTo describe perceived social support and self-care of patients with heart failure (HF) and the relationship between these variables.MethodsAn analytical, cross-sectional study. Data were collected from 74 patients hospitalized with HF between April 2019 and March 2020. Perceived social support was measured through the dimensions of the Social Outcomes Study Social Support Scale: emotional/informational; tangible; affectionate and positive social interaction. Self-care was assessed through the dimensions of the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index v 6.2, (self-care maintenance, management, and confidence). The correlation between social support and self-care was evaluated by the Spearman’s test.ResultsMost patients were male, with a mean age of 61 years. The mean scores for tangible, affectionate, emotional/informational and positive social interaction were 4.6±0.8, 4.7±0.8, 4.1±1.2 and 4.4±1.0, respectively. Self-care maintenance, management and confidence mean scores were 47.9±15.8, 52.9±18.2 and 73.8±21.8, respectively. The levels of self-care confidence were positively correlated with the levels of social support: social interaction (r=0.32, p <0.01), affectionate (r=0.33, p<0.003) and emotional/informational (r=0.28, p<0.002).ConclusionAlthough self-care confidence was adequate, self-care maintenance and management were inadequate. Higher levels of affectionate, emotional/informational and social interaction support were correlated with higher levels of self-care confidence. These data can support the planning of interventions that improve both social support and self-care confidence by the healthcare team.