[Illness perception in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].
BACKGROUND
The aim of the study was to investigate illness perception in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to explore its relation to socio-demographic and illness/treatment-related characteristics.


METHODS
44 consecutive COPD patients answered the general questionnaire (which identified data on gender, age, education, economic status, employment, personal estimate of family relations quality) and IPQ-R (which evaluates the illness perception components). The data were statistically processed using T-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, one way anova, and correlation analysis.


RESULTS
COPD patients perceived their illness predominantly negatively. The markers of negative illness perception were female gender: older age, medium economic status, being employed, and high number of hospital treatments. The self report of good family relations was associated with both positive (strong belief in personal control) and negative illness perception (belief in serious consequences). Believing that external causes were predominantly responsible for the illness onset was related to the positive illness representation and to a lower education level.


CONCLUSIONS
Illness perception in COPD patients is negative and associated with certain socio-demographic and illness/treatment-related characteristics; this may have implications for detecting and modifying negative perception patterns in patients at risk.
Institut za mentalno zdravlje, Beograd. mitkovic_marija@yahoo.com
Marija
M
Mitković
Lidija
L
Ristić
Olivera
O
Zikić
Vuk
V
Milosević
Grozdanko
G
Grbesa
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life