Uncertainty, symptoms, and quality of life in persons with chronic hepatitis C.
BACKGROUND
Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States, but little is known about illness uncertainty in these patients.


OBJECTIVE
The authors examined the constructs of illness uncertainty.


METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Scale was used to examine these constructs (ambiguity, complexity, inconsistency, unpredictability) and their relationships with fatigue, pain, depressive symptoms, comorbidity, and quality of life (QOL) in 126 CHC patients undergoing a watchful-waiting protocol.


RESULTS
The Ambiguity subscale had the strongest relationships with depressive symptoms, QOL, and fatigue, and three of the four subscales were significantly correlated with pain.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest targets for patient self-management interventions.
Bailey
Donald E
DE
Duke University School of Nursing, DUMC PO Box 3322, Durham, NC 27710, USA. chip.bailey@duke.edu
Landerman
Lawrence
L
Barroso
Julie
J
Bixby
Patricia
P
Mishel
Merle H
MH
Muir
Andrew J
AJ
Strickland
Lisa
L
Clipp
Elizabeth
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult