The Structural Model of Functional Disability in Functional Somatic Syndrome Based on Personality Traits and Illness Perception Among Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion

Background: This study aimed to predict functional disability (FD) in functional somatic syndromes (FSS) among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) based on personality traits (PTs) and illness perception (IP), with the mediating role of self-compassion (SC). Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the roles of PTs and IP in FD, considering SC as a mediating factor. Methods: This applied cross-sectional correlational study was conducted in 2022. The statistical population consisted of all CAD patients in Amol, Iran, from which 250 individuals were purposefully selected. Data collection instruments included the World Health Organization disability assessment schedule, McCrae and Costa’s Personality Traits Questionnaire, Broadbent’s Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, and Neff’s Self-compassion Scale. The data were analyzed using latent-variable structural equation modeling with SPSS (V. 26), AMOS (V. 24), and R (V. 4.2.0). Results: The results indicated that IP, SC, and all five PTs had a significant direct role in explaining 70% of the variance in FD (P < 0.05). Additionally, SC had a significant mediating role in the relationship between FD and four PTs (extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) as well as IP. Conclusions: The FD in FSS among CAD patients can be predicted based on PTs and IP, with SC as a mediator. Psychologists, counselors, therapists, and psychiatrists are encouraged to consider the role of SC in improving the mental health and treatment outcomes of CAD patients.