Experiences of Burden and Coping Strategies and their Associations with Mental Health and Well-Being in COPD - a Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Understanding trigger and maintaining factors regarding psychiatric comorbidities in COPD is of great importance. In the presented mixed-methods study, qualitative interview data on burden experience and coping were related to psychiatric comorbidity (using PHQ-D) and quality of live (Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedulde, PANAS and Satisfaction with Life Scale, SWLS) and extended by the Freiburg Questionnaire on Coping with Illness (FKV-LIS). The two interview questions prompting narrative were 1.) "What is currently bothering you most?"; 2.) "How do you cope with your chronic disease in everyday life?" A total of 62 patients who were hospitalized due to COPD participated. The severity of physical impairment was assessed using GOLD stage and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). The interviews conducted were content analyzed and then quantified. The collected data were then compared between two groups with regard to mental distress. 13 themes of burden and 11 coping strategies were identified by content analysis. A total of 42 patients showed signs of mental distress, while 20 patients did not show signs of distress. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of sociodemographic characteristics and the severity of their physical symptoms. In the first interview question, the stressed group more frequently addressed issues related to death (35.7% versus 15.0%) and social stress (21.4% versus 0.0%). With respect to the second interview question, the nonstressed group was significantly more likely to mention strategies for consciously emphasizing positive emotions (70.0% versus 31.0%). In addition, higher scores on the FKV scales for depressive coping and trivialization and wishful thinking were evident in the stressed group. Quality of life and mental distress should be considered in clinical care for COPD. Interventions to influence illness perception and related coping styles are important, especially with regard to the development of a realistic and optimistic perspective on life and disease burden, as well as the inclusion of group and family therapeutic interventions.