Self-Care Behaviors and Its Associated Factors in Adult Congenital Heart Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aim: To investigate self-care behaviors and their associated factors in adult patients with congenital heart disease. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: This study was conducted among 225 adult patients with congenital heart disease. Data on demographic characteristics, self-care behaviors, knowledge of congenital heart disease, social support, and self-efficacy were collected. Multiple linear regression was used to explore factors associated with self-care behaviors. Result: The mean scores for self-care maintenance, self-care monitoring, and self-care management were 63.87 ± 9.19, 55.30 ± 13.64, and 83.99 ± 11.67, respectively. Using a cutoff score of 70 for adequate self-care, 27.1%, 15.1%, and 83.6% of participants achieved adequate levels in maintenance, monitoring, and management, respectively. Multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that classification of congenital heart disease complexity (B = 1.867, 95% CI [0.427–3.307], p = 0.011), self-efficacy (B = 0.187, 95% CI [0.105–0.270], p < 0.001), and social support utilization (B = 1.513, 95% CI [0.772–2.253], p < 0.001) were independently associated with self-care maintenance. Furthermore, knowledge questionnaire score (B = 0.158, 95% CI [0.034–0.281], p = 0.013) was independently associated with self-care monitoring. Objective support (B = 0.743, 95% CI [0.115–1.370], p = 0.021) and social support utilization (B = 0.178, 95% CI [0.035–2.121], p = 0.043) were independently associated with self-care management. Conclusions: Chinese adult congenital heart disease patients showed poor self-care maintenance and monitoring behaviors despite their adequate self-care management behaviors. Disease knowledge, social support, and self-efficacy may affect self-care behaviors in patients with congenital heart disease.