Background: This is the first study to assess the impact of gender and partnership on life satisfaction in adolescents and adults with CF, using a model combining subjective importance and satisfaction ratings.
Methods: Life satisfaction of 243 CF patients (16-58 years, M=29.6, SD=7.4, 46.9% male) was assessed with the Questions on Life Satisfaction (FLZ(M)). The effects of gender and partnership on life satisfaction were calculated.
Results: Significantly less males than females reported living with a partner (chi(2)=16.5, p<001). Gender only had a significant effect on health-related life satisfaction, with females reporting worse life satisfaction. Partnership had small to large effects on general, health-related and CF-specific life satisfaction (eta(2)=.049-.144). Participants with partners always reported higher life satisfaction than those without partner. However, no significant interaction effect of partnership and gender could be shown.
Conclusions: Having a partner is associated with higher life satisfaction, regardless of the patient's gender and might have beneficial effects on medical outcomes.