Key result
Negative illness perception is linked to worse quality of life, mediated by movement fear and self-efficacy.
Why the study?
The mediating effects of fear of movement and self-efficacy on the relationship between illness perception and health-related quality of life in pulmonary hypertension patients were not well understood.
Does illness perception affect health-related quality of life in patients with pulmonary hypertension, and is this relationship mediated by fear of movement and self-efficacy?
Cross-Sectional (n=185)
No
Does illness perception affect health-related quality of life in patients with pulmonary hypertension, and is this relationship mediated by fear of movement and self-efficacy?
Effect estimate: β 0.028 (95% CI 0.008-0.052)
Psychosocial factors such as fear of movement and self-efficacy mediate the impact of illness perception on quality of life in pulmonary hypertension, providing targets for behavioral interventions.
May support addressing perceptions and mediators in pulmonary hypertension; extends mediation models but leaves causality open.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effects of fear of movement and self-efficacy on the relationship between illness perception and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Patients and Methods: From July 2025 to February 2026, patients with PH were enrolled from the outpatient clinics or wards at two campuses of a tertiary hospital in Nanchang, China, using a convenience sampling method. For each patient, a range of data, including sociodemographic and clinical information, and validated scales assessed for illness perception, self-efficacy, fear of movement, and HRQOL were collated to examine the interaction. The mediation analysis was carried out with the PROCESS macro in SPSS. Results: 185 patients with PH were investigated with structured questionnaires. The mediation analysis showed that illness perception had a significant total effect on HRQOL. Additionally, the significant indirect effects of illness perception on HRQOL were mediated by fear of movement respectively, accounting for 16.4% and 8.7% of the total effect. We also observed that fear of movement and self-efficacy sequentially mediated the relationship between illness perception and HRQOL, which accounted for 4.6% of the total effect. Conclusion: Fear of movement and self-efficacy were multiple mediators of the relationship between illness perception and HRQOL among patients with PH. This highlights the importance of fear of movement and self-efficacy. Thus, potential clinical interventions targeted for strengthening self-care efficacy and relieving fear of movement may be beneficial for the improvement of HRQOL.
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Xiong et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Pulmonary Hypertension (n=185). Illness perception was evaluated on Sequential mediating effect of fear of movement and self-efficacy on the relationship between illness perception and health-related quality of life (β 0.028, 95% CI 0.008-0.052). Illness perception was associated with health-related quality of life, and this relationship was sequentially mediated by fear of movement and self-efficacy (β 0.028, 95% CI 0.008-0.052).
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