BACKGROUND
Appraisal, coping, and psychological
distress in patients with chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease
The impact of stress, and how it is managed, can have extensive consequences for patients with COPD. Several studies have emphasized the importance of adequate coping strategies in dealing with the burden of COPD.5-8 Barstow studied coping strategies of outpatients with emphysema who were attending breathing classes, and identified two main coping strategies: simplification of activities and pacing.9 Chalmers identified three broad categories of coping strategies used by COPD outpatients in managing their illness: cognitive, behavioral, and emotional.5 Carrieri-Kohlman and Janson-Bjerklie10 interviewed patients with various lung
diseases, including COPD, and categorized their
strategies as immediate and long-term strategies,
all of which included problem-focused, emotionfocused,
and mixed strategies. These studies demonstrate
that the techniques for assessing coping differ widely, and that the strategies patients with COPD use to cope with COPD can be described in a number of ways.