Uncertainty, Symptoms, and Quality of Life in Persons With Chronic Hepatitis C

Background: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States, but little is known about illness uncertainty in these patients. Objective: The authors examined the constructs of illness uncertainty. Method: In this cross-sectional study, Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Scale was used to examine these constructs (ambiguity, complexity, inconsistency, unpredictability) and their relationships with fatigue, pain, depressive symptoms, comorbidity, and quality of life (QOL) in 126 CHC patients undergoing a watchful-waiting protocol. Results: The Ambiguity subscale had the strongest relationships with depressive symptoms, QOL, and fatigue, and three of the four subscales were significantly correlated with pain. Conclusion: The results suggest targets for patient self-management interventions.