Disease Activity and Psychosocial Factors Associated with Heath-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Crohn’s Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study

<b>Background:</b> Crohn's disease has a pattern of recurrent remissions and flare-ups which makes patients experience psychological complications; however, few studies have been conducted to identify intra-personal factors associated with health-related quality of life in individuals with Crohn's disease. This study aimed to explore how disease activity, coping, and post-traumatic growth were associated with health-related quality of life in patients with Crohn's disease. <b>Methods</b>: A cross-sectional study was conducted using self-reported questionnaires. Of the 227 adult patients recruited from a Crohn's disease online support group in Korea, 219 were included in the final analysis. Measurements included the Harvey-Bradshaw Simple Index, the Korean version of the Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire, the Korean version of the Coping and Adaptation Processing Scale Short-Form, and the Korean version of the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent <i>t</i>-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression. <b>Results</b>: The mean score of health-related quality of life was 4.10 out of 7 points, and the subdomain of emotional health showed the lowest score. Most participants were classified as having mild disease activity. The multiple regression analysis revealed that disease activity was significantly associated with health-related quality of life, which accounted for 31.2% of the total variance. Coping and PTG were not significantly associated with health-related quality of life. <b>Conclusions</b>: Disease activity was a significant factor associated with the health-related quality of life of Crohn's disease patients. It is important to control the disease activity level in Crohn's disease patients through self-management strategies. Maintaining a low stage of disease activity can be a crucial component of nursing care plans for enhancing health-related quality of life in individuals with Crohn's disease.