| Summary: | Holding misconceptions about heart disease has deleterious effects on a patient's quality of life. Eliciting and dispelling incorrect beliefs can reduce disability in this population. However, there are no studies of cardiac misconceptions among Taiwanese people. This thesis presents seven studies which used a combination of qualitative and quantitative designs to explore misconceived and potentially maladaptive beliefs held by Taiwanese people with heart disease. The associations between cardiac misconceptions and physical and psychological status was examined. Four comparison studies were undertaken to investigate the cardiac misconceptions among patients, their relatives, people with other chronic illness, nurses, and British people with heart disease. The final study in the thesis aimed to develop the Chinese Cardiac Beliefs Questionnaire and establish its reliability and validity. Stress was the most common causal attribution and misconceived avoidance coping were cited by the majority of patients. Patients with higher numbers of misconceptions were more likely to suffer psychological distress and physical limitations. There were no differences on the scores on beliefs questionnaires between patients and their relatives, and people with chronic illness. Nurses held misconceptions that were similar to those of patients. The cardiac misconceptions held by these groups confirmed that there existed a reciprocating network of component misconceptions that reinforce each other. The cultural context in which people live influences their illness beliefs. Perceived stress as causation and avoiding anything that might cause chest pain were common in Taiwan and Britain. However, Taiwanese patients held more misconceptions about heart disease than those in Britain. The development of a Taiwanese-specific misconceptions questionnaire was undertaken, based on interviews with Taiwanese people, and its validity demonstrated. The findings of these studies suggest that it is important for healthcare professionals to elicit cardiac misconceptions among Taiwanese populations. Interventions should be developed to dispel maladaptive beliefs thereby altering the coping actions of patients.
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