RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Life event stress and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): associations with mental well-being and quality of life in a population-based study
JF BMJ Open
JO BMJ Open
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e001674
DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2012-001674
VO 2
IS 6
A1 Yanxia Lu
A1 Ma Shwe Zin Nyunt
A1 Xinyi Gwee
A1 Liang Feng
A1 Lei Feng
A1 Ee Heok Kua
A1 Rajeev Kumar
A1 Tze Pin Ng
YR 2012
UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/6/e001674.abstract
AB Objectives To investigate whether life event stress was associated with greater psychological distress and poorer quality of life in older individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in comparison with their counterparts without COPD. Design Cross-sectional study. Participants A population-based sample (N=497) of individuals aged 65 and above with COPD (postbronchodilatation FEV1/FVC<0.70, N=136) and without COPD (N=277). Measurements We measured life event stress, depressive symptoms (GDS, Geriatric Depression Scale), cognitive symptoms and function (CFQ, Cognitive Failures Questionnaire and MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination), and physical and mental health functional status (SF36-PCS, Physical Health Component Summary and SF36-MCS, Mental Health Component Summary) in participants with and without COPD. Results In two-way analysis of variance controlling for potential confounders, life event stress was associated with significant main effects of worse GDS (p<0.001), SF36-PCS (p=0.008) and SF36-MCS scores (p<0.001), and with significant interaction effects on GDS score (p<0.001), SF36-PCS (p=0.045) and SF36-MCS (p=0.034) in participants with COPD, more than in non-COPD participants. The main effect of COPD was found for postbronchodilator FEV1 (p<0.001) and cognitive symptoms (p=0.02). Conclusions Our findings indicate that life event stress was associated with more depressive symptoms and worse quality of life in individuals with COPD, much more than in those without COPD. Further studies should explore the role of cognitive appraisal of stress, coping resources and psycho-social support in this relationship.