Fear of progression subtypes and their influencing factors in patients with coronary heart disease: A cross-sectional study using latent profile analysis

This study analyzed the current status of fear of progression (FoP) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and its latent profile categories, and explored the influencing factors of these different categories. A convenience sampling method was used to select CHD patients who were hospitalized in a tertiary hospital in Changchun City from October 2024 to June 2025 as the survey subjects. The general information questionnaire, the Chinese version of the simplified Fear of Disease Progression Scale, the Family Care Index Scale, the Pain Digital Evaluation Scale, and the Social Support Rating Scale were used for investigation. The potential profiles of FoP in CHD patients were analyzed, and the influencing factors were explored using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression. A total of 400 subjects were included in the survey. FoP in CHD patients could be divided into 3 latent profile categories: “Low-Risk Fear Type” (36.56%), “High-Risk Fear Type” (32.68%), and “Severe Fear Type” (30.76%). The influencing factors included pain, family per capita monthly income, family care, and chronic complications (all P < .05). The level of FoP in CHD patients is high and heterogeneous. Medical staff should focus on patients with a high-risk of fear and severe fear, and provide targeted prevention and psychological nursing for FoP in CHD patients as soon as possible, according to the characteristics and influencing factors of the different categories.