THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN HYPERTENSION PATIENTS LIVING IN A SENIOR CLUB

Abstract

Objective: To explore the influence of different social relations on the quality of life of hypertension patients who lived in senior club.Methods: 108 volunteers of hypertension patients in the senior club were researched by the scale of SF-36 and self-made questionnaire. Besides, interviews were conducted in 10 hypertension patients by purpose sampling methods. The interview data were analyzed by Colaizzi method.Results: (1) There were significant difference in quality of life with different marital status, living state, frequency contact and social support from theirs families, social workers, neighbors, friends (P＜0.05). (2) The interviews reveal how the social relations affect the quality of life. The main effects are as follows: 1) Favorable family relationship is very important to improve the quality of life by the material and spiritual supports from families. 2) In the senior club the social workers can enrich their spiritual life. But the patients worry about the health and medical conditions especially the EMS of the club staffs. 3) The harmonious social relationships with neighbors and friends have a positive influence on the quality of life, because of the increased social contact and the sharing of knowledge. However, the elders are inert to make Friends and always have small contradictions between each other.Conclusions: The quality of life in hypertension patients was significantly affected by the social relationship. The club staffs should devote more energy to care the social relationship and provide personalized nursing measures for hypertension patients.