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Open Access Assessment of the Level of Life Satisfaction and Health Behaviors Among Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

This article is Open Access under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND licence.

Objectives: An important aspect of complex care of patients with chronic hepatitis C is improvement of their quality of life. In Poland, a low level of life satisfaction is observed among patients with hepatitis C. Some patients experience concerns and anxiety that they will be identified by their employers, family, acquaintances. They are afraid of losing their job or breaking up with their loved ones. This study provides an analysis of the level of life satisfaction among patients with chronic hepatitis C. Methods: Overall, 220 patients with hepatitis C completed the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) along with an author-constructed questionnaire. Results: The mean level of satisfaction with life score was 16.3±4.9. More than a half of the patients presented a low level of satisfaction (1-4 stens)–62,7%, approximately one-third of the respondents showed a mediocre level (5-6 stens), and 8,7% indicated a high level (7-10 stens). Patients who evaluated their state of health as "poor" had the lowest life satisfaction scores–mean=13.9. Conclusions: Patients with hepatitis C assessed their satisfaction with life negatively and those aged 51-60 expressed significantly lower evaluations. Women showed a slightly lower level of life satisfaction than men, which was associated with low health self-esteem.

Keywords: HEALTH BEHAVIORS; HEPATITIS C; LIFE SATISFACTION; SWLS SCALE

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: Military Clinical Hospital No. 1 with Polyclinic, Independent Public Health Care Unit, Lublin, Poland

Publication date: June 1, 2023

More about this publication?
  • The American Journal of Health Behavior seeks to improve the quality of life through multidisciplinary health efforts in fostering a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of both individuals and social systems as they relate to health behaviors.

    The Journal aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of personal attributes, personality characteristics, behavior patterns, social structure, and processes on health maintenance, health restoration, and health improvement; to disseminate knowledge of holistic, multidisciplinary approaches to designing and implementing effective health programs; and to showcase health behavior analysis skills that have been proven to affect health improvement and recovery.

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