Psychological Well-Being in Women with Heart Failure: Can Social Roles Make a Difference?

I performed this study to examine whether the quality of women's social roles influences the impact of heart failure (HF) on their psychological well-being. Survey questionnaires measuring social role quality, physical health, and psychological well-being were completed by 169 midlife, older, and late-life women. Hierarchical multiple regression indicated that, after controlling for age, income, and physical health, social role quality accounted for a significant proportion of variance in multiple well-being outcomes. The quality of women's social roles may be an important consideration in the development of interventions to help women with HF live satisfying and productive lives.