Does Life Lose Its Meaning When the Heart Fails? Illness Perception, Perceived Stress and Meaning in Life in Polish Patients with Heart Failure

Background/Objectives: Heart failure (HF) is a highly unpredictable disease that significantly impacts patients’ well-being. One of the fundamental problems faced by cardiac patients is trying to answer the question of how to lead a meaningful life. Meaning in life is a crucial predictor of well-being, ill-being and quality of life for everyone, not just cardiac patients. Therefore, identifying its predictors is crucial. Based on Leventhal et al.’s common-sense model of self-regulation of health and illness, and Lipowski’s disease perception concept, this study verified the role of illness perception and perceived stress in existential meaning in Polish HF patients. Methods: This manuscript presents the results of a cross-sectional study. Overall, 336 HF patients from Poland were examined. Four questionnaires were used: the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), the Multidimensional Existential Meaning Scale (MEMS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Disease-Related Appraisals Scale (DRAS). Results: Negative illness perception and positive cognitive assessment of the illness were shown to be significant predictors of meaning in life in patients with HF. Furthermore, this relationship was mediated by perceived stress. Additionally, the positive correlation between negative illness assessment and positive illness perception was found. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that cognitive assessment of the disease can be associated with the existential resources of heart failure patients. It also highlights the importance of working on the existential sphere of cardiac patients and accurately verified theoretical assumptions regarding the relationship between illness perception and meaning in life, providing a basis for future longitudinal studies and meaning-oriented psychological help focused on individuals with HF.