Social anxiety, self-esteem and quality of life among hypertensive patients during COVID-19 local epidemic in China: A mediation analysis.
Mengzhao Gao, Yidan Lu, Lin Zhang and 5 others
PMID 38268276WHAT IT FOUND
Among hospitalized hypertensive patients in China, higher social anxiety was linked to lower self-esteem and lower quality of life, while higher self-esteem was linked to better quality of life.
Social anxiety had no direct link to quality of life.
Key findings
01Social anxiety was negatively related to self-esteem (r = -0.305, p < 0.01) and quality of life (r = -0.165, p < 0.01), while self-esteem was positively related to quality of life (r = 0.444, p < 0.01).
02The mediation model found no direct effect of social anxiety on quality of life (β = 0.011, p > 0.05), but an indirect effect through self-esteem (β = -0.248, p < 0.001).
03Age, gender, exercise and self-esteem were significant factors associated with quality of life, explaining 28.20% of its variance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot determine whether low self-esteem causes worse quality of life or whether poor quality of life lowers self-esteem. All participants were hospitalized hypertensive patients at one hospital in the southern region of one province, so the results may not apply to outpatients or other settings. The survey used convenience sampling, and 333 valid responses were obtained from 344 questionnaires. The study was done during COVID-19 local epidemic restrictions in China, which may have affected patients' social anxiety, self-esteem and quality of life. The SF-36 was reduced to a total score, so it does not show which quality-of-life domains were affected. The paper's practice suggestions were not tested, so they are not evidence that they improve quality of life.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests. The study was funded by the Anhui Provincial Department of Education.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that raising self-esteem or reducing social anxiety will improve quality of life in hypertensive patients. This was a cross-sectional survey of associations, not a tested intervention, and it cannot show cause and effect.