engleski

Economic, social and intimate aspects of life as predictors of general life satisfaction in adults with hemophilia

Introduction and Objectives: Based on the literature overview about the characteristics of haemophilia, we hypothesized that the nature of the illness can significantly influence certain aspects of patients' lives, as well as their general life satisfaction. Consequently, we examined the degree of satisfaction with economic, social and intimate/sexual aspects of life in people with haemophilia, and how these factors determine their overall life satisfaction. Since severity of the disease can vary dramatically, we specifically included severity of the patients' illness as a parameter in the analysis. Methods: An empirical survey among adults with haemophilia was conducted in Croatia (N=135). General life-satisfaction was assessed on a 5-point rating scale, whereas 10-point scales, extracted from the Personal Wellbeing Index – PWI (Cummins, 2002), were used to measure satisfaction with economic and social aspects of life. The satisfaction with the intimate aspects of life was measured using an instrument constructed specifically for the purpose of this study. Results: There are no significant differences regarding satisfaction with intimate life between those with severe and milder forms of the illness (although more severely affected patients have less frequent sexual intercourse), but also in satisfaction with material status and social support, as well as in the degree of life satisfaction in general. With regard to the predictive roles of the chosen factors, material status was significant in predicting general life satisfaction in both groups of patients'. As opposed to these results, the role of social support and intimacy varied depending on illness severity. Among milder cases, intimacy proved to be more important in determining general life satisfaction than social support. On the other hand, social support played a more important role than intimate relations in patients with severe illness. Conclusion: These results point to the conclusion that all aspects of life included in our analysis determine general life satisfaction of persons with haemophilia, only their influence varies. An individual’s needs, and consequently the ways in which they are met, differ depending on the severity of their illness.

Economic aspects of life; Social aspects of life; Intimate aspects of life; Life satisfaction; Haemophilia

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