Relationship between Uncertainty and Health-related Quality of Life in Elderly Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty: The Mediating Effects of Sense of Coherence and Social Support

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effects of sense of coherence and social support in the relationship between uncertainty and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in elderly patients who underwent with total knee arthroplasty. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted with 186 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty. Data were collected from September 17 to October 16, 2019 through structured questionnaires and analyzed with descriptive statistics, the independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficients, and a parallel redundant mediated model in the PROCESS macro using SPSS version 27.0. Results: The mean scores of uncertainty, sense of coherence, social support, and HRQoL were 100.72, 49.77, 93.77, and 41.61. The direct effect of uncertainty on HRQoL and the indirect effect of uncertainty, mediated by sense of coherence and social support, on HRQoL were statistically significant. Conclusion: These results indicate that in order to increase the HRQoL of elderly patients who undergo total knee arthroplasty, it is necessary to develop an intervention program that focuses both on reducing uncertainty and on improving patients’ sense of coherence and social support.