Social support and quality of life in patients with chronic liver disease: a mediating role of illness perception.

Background: Chronic liver disease is a major global health threat. With the progress of disease, patients will suffer from different complications, which seriously affect their quality of life. Social support and illness perception play key roles in improving quality of life. However, there is limited research on the relationship between social support, illness perception, and quality of life. Methods: The STROBE guideline was performed in this study. 250 individuals in a Grade A hospital in China were selected by a convenience sampling approach. Data were collected by using a sociodemographic questionnaire, a Social Support Rating Scale, a Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, and a 36-item Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire. IBM SPSS Amos 24.0 (IBM Corp.) and SPSS 26.0 (IBM Corp.) were used for data analysis. Results: The overall mean scores of social support, illness perception and quality of life were 26.538, 43.420 and 62.641, respectively. The quality of life was positively correlated with social support, while it was negatively related to illness perception. The social support was negatively correlated with illness perception. The illness perception acted as a mediator in the relationship between social support and quality of life. Conclusion: Statistically, illness perception acts as a complete mediator in the association between social support and quality of life. Healthcare professionals should focus more on understanding and addressing patients' illness perceptions to enhance their quality of life.