Background: Consistent self-care slows the progression of heart failure (HF). Gratitude, the practice of appreciating the positive aspects of life, may influence self-efficacy, which in turn is known to improve self-care. However, little is known about the relationships among gratitude, self-efficacy, and medication adherence in HF.
Objective: The aim of this study was to test a model to determine if self-efficacy mediates the relationship between gratitude and medication adherence in asymptomatic patients with HF.
Method: This is a secondary analysis of data from a prospective observational study. Data were analyzed using a structural equation model to examine associations between gratitude, cardiac-specific self-efficacy, and medication adherence in 153 patients with HF. Gratitude, self-efficacy, and medication adherence were assessed using the Gratitude Questionnaire-6, Cardiac Self-efficacy Scale-Maintain Function Subscale, and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, respectively.
Results: Patient mean (SD) age was 66 (11) years, and 95% of the participants were men. Patients were primarily white (79%), black (12%), or Asian (6%). Gratitude exerted an indirect effect on medication adherence through self-efficacy (b = 0.16; P < .05). Gratitude was positively related to self-efficacy (b = 0.50; P < .05), and self-efficacy was positively related to medication adherence (b = 0.31; P < .05). The model fit was acceptable (comparative fit index = 0.92, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.90, root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.08).
Conclusion: In this study, we found evidence that self-efficacy was a mechanism through which gratitude was associated with medication adherence in asymptomatic patients with HF, suggesting a way to improve self-care nonpharmacologically. Future work will examine whether gratitude intervention results in improved self-care.