The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between anxiety personality trait, Quality of Life (QoL) and severity of disease in a Greek population of patients with Chronic Heart Failure (CHF).

Twenty-seven consecutive CHF outpatients (22 males, 5 females; age: 56±12) were asked to answer the Greek version of the Trait Anxiety subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), as a part of a thorough cardiological and psychiatric clinical evaluation. QoL was assessed with the Greek version of the disease-specific Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ). Multiple linear regression was conducted to determine the best linear combination of Trait Anxiety scores and severity of disease scores, for predicting KCCQ Overall Summary Score. The indices of disease severity that were used were New York Heart Association (NYHA) class in the first model and VO₂peak in the second model.

For the first model (adjusted R²=0.557, F(2,20)=14.816, p< 0.001), NYHA class (B=-8.430, SE=3.965, beta=-0.323, p< 0.05) as well as Trait Anxiety (B=-0.886, SE=0.225, beta=-0.597, p< 0.05) significantly predict KCCQ Overall Summary Score.

For the second model (adjusted R²=0.616, F(2,19)=17.848, p< 0.001), VO₂peak (B=17.998, SE=8.374, beta=0.317, p< 0.05) as well as Trait Anxiety (B=-0.884, SE=0.208, beta=-0.626, p< 0.001) significantly predict KCCQ Overall Summary Score.

Trait Anxiety predicts QoL independently of disease severity in CHF and therefore should be considered in the assessment of patient health status as well as in the design of treatment interventions and rehabilitation.