Abstract
Introduction: COPD patients present with a mixture of symptoms, some of which may not always be attributable to physical pathology. The degree of the psychological and behavioural component of illness may at times be out of proportion with objective physical pathology. Maladaptive perceptions associated with abnormal illness behaviour (AIB) may have negative consequences for patients' health outcomes.
Objectives: The study aimed to 1) investigate the prevalence and type of AIB present in COPD patients entering pulmonary rehabilitation and 2) evaluate the associations between AIB, quality of life, mental health and level of disability in COPD patients.
Method: A cross-sectional study design was employed. Sixty-nine COPD participants entering a pulmonary rehabilitation program completed the Illness Behaviour Questionnaire (IBQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Short Form 36 (SF-36) and Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ).
Results: Correlations indicated that AIB was significantly (p<0.01) associated with anxiety, age, dyspnoea and emotional function. Multiple regressions indicated that significant (p<0.01) predictive relationships existed between the Hypochondriasis subscale of the IBQ and anxiety (HADS), dyspnoea (CRQ) and mental disability (SF36).
Conclusion: AIB is linked with health outcomes amongst COPD patients. Early recognition of AIB allows for the tailoring of pulmonary rehabilitation programs to address perception of illness issues.
- © 2011 ERS