RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAMILY SUPPORT AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF THALASSEMIA PATIENTS IN THE THALASEMIA POLYCLINIC OF UMAR WIRAHADIKUSUMAH REGIONAL HOSPITAL, SUMEDANG REGENCY

Thalassemia is a chronic genetic disease that requires lifelong treatment and blood transfusions, thus affecting the patient's quality of life, both physically, psychologically, socially, and emotionally. The quality of life of patients with chronic diseases is influenced by various factors, one of which is family support. Strong family support can improve patient adaptation to the disease and motivation in undergoing treatment (Utami et al., 2021). This study aims to determine the relationship between family support and the quality of life of thalassemia patients at Umar Wirahadikusumah Hospital, Sumedang Regency. This study uses a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 30 thalassemia patients selected through a purposive sampling technique. The instruments used in this study were the Family Support Questionnaire and the Quality of Life Questionnaire (PedsQL). Data were analyzed using the Chi-Square test.
The univariate analysis showed that the majority of respondents received positive family support (66.7%) and had a good quality of life (60%). Bivariate analysis revealed a significant relationship between family support and the quality of life of thalassemia patients, with a Pearson Chi-Square value of 22.500 and a significance level of p = 0.000 (p < 0.05). This indicates that there is a statistically significant association between family support and the quality of life of thalassemia patients.