The Role of Illness Perception and Help‐Seeking Attitudes on Positive Psychological Well‐Being and Quality of Life in People With Chronic Wounds

Chronic wounds are a substantial health burden, adversely affecting patients' overall quality of life. This study explored the association between positive psychological well-being and quality of life and the mediating roles of illness perceptions and attitudes toward medical help-seeking among people with chronic wounds. A total of 208 people with chronic wounds from three hospitals in China were recruited. Data were collected using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, Attitudes Toward Medical Help-Seeking Scale, the Well-being in Wounds Inventory, and the Questionnaire on Quality of Life with Chronic Wounds. Participants reported poor health-related quality of life. The structural equation model revealed that the overall indirect impact of positive psychology on quality of life was 38.93%. This impact was divided into three components: disease perception accounted for 26.67% of the total indirect effect, attitude toward medical care accounted for 8.50%, and the combined effect of both factors accounted for 3.75%. This suggests that higher positive psychological well-being may lead to higher quality of life by reducing illness perception and improving attitudes toward medical help-seeking.