Illness perceptions and coping determine quality of life in COPD patients

Abstract

BackgroundA key goal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care is to improve patients’ quality of life (QoL). For outcomes such as QoL, illness perceptions and coping are important determinants.AimThe primary aim was to assess the associations between illness perceptions, coping and QoL in COPD patients. A secondary aim was to compare illness perceptions and coping of patients with reference values derived from the literature.Patients and methodsA total of 100 patients were included in the study. Patients were asked to complete the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ), the Utrecht Proactive Coping Competence scale (UPCC), and a QoL item. Correlations and linear regression models were used to analyze the data. Student’s t-tests were used to compare patients with COPD with reference values derived from the literature.ResultsPatients with better understanding of COPD utilized more proactive coping strategies (P=0.04). A more intense emotional response to COPD was related to less proactive coping (P=0.02). Patients who reported using more proactive coping techniques also reported to have a better QoL (P<0.01). Illness perceptions were also related to QoL: more positive illness perceptions were related to a better QoL (all P<0.05). Patients with COPD reported more negative illness perceptions than people with a common cold or patients with asthma (all P<0.01), but reported similar perceptions compared with patients with diabetes.ConclusionPatients with COPD reported a moderate QoL, but appeared to be proficient in proactive coping. Illness perceptions, coping, and QoL were all associated with each other. Patients reported more strongly affected illness perceptions compared to people with a cold and patients with asthma. We postulate that a self-management intervention targeting patients’ illness perceptions leads to improved QoL.

The impact of illness perception and socio‐clinico‐demographic factors on perceived quality of life in children and adolescents with thalassemia intermedia

“…Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that a high perception of illness is an independent predictor of better QOL. These results are consistent with results of previous studies of other chronic illnesses in which better personal control and illness perception were associated with higher physical QOL . Better health literacy and knowledge about the disease and its treatment can improve QOL in patients with chronic diseases …”

“…These results are consistent with results of previous studies of other chronic illnesses in which better personal control and illness perception were associated with higher physical QOL. 30 ALT, alanine transaminase, AST, aspartate transaminase; Hb, hemoglobin. P ≤ 0.05 is significance.…”

Illness Perception and Quality of Life in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in Lampung, Indonesia

“…It shows that the better the patient illness perception, the better the QoL, and the opposite. A previous study had the same results, which showed a significant correlation between illness perception and QoL (Nabolsi, Wardam, & Al-Halabi, 2013;Scharloo et al, 2007;Tiemensma et al, 2016). As examples, identity has moderate and negative correlation with vitality domain (r: -0.431; p: 0.001).…”

“…A patient's QoL may be influenced by chronic pain, female gender, lower education level, increased BMI, diabetes-related distress and mobility restriction (Kamradt et al, 2017). Furthermore, illness perception and coping, may influence QoL (Tiemensma, Gaab, Voorhaar, Asijee, & Kaptein, 2016). Patients may develop their own perspectives about their health, disease and treatment due to the coping process (Dorrian, Dempster, & Adair, 2009).…”

“Price to Pay for Being Alive”: Coping with the Post-Operative Demands in Heart Transplantation

“…Whether patients perceived the heart transplantation as a "second chance" and "the gift of life" or as an "exchange of one problem with another", seemed to play an important role in determining the coping strategies they employed and whether they were satisfied or dissatisfied with their postoperative life It is not the nature of an illness that is of uppermost importance, but rather the individual's cognitive appraisal of it (Lazarus, Averill, & Opton, 1974;Buunk, Gibbons, & Buunk, 2013;Tiemensma, Gaab, Voorhaar, Asijee, & Kaptein, 2016). Miller (1986) stated that, if an illness is viewed as significant, heightened anxiety and depression are more likely to manifest themselves in an attempt to cope; if the illness is appraised as insignificant, the client will feel less personally threatened and will have greater energy for dealing with the problems presented by the illness.…”