RESULTS
Research Question 1: What events did the patients consider to be the most stressful?
As summarized in Table II, 68.5% of respondents (n _ 63) referred to their most recent situation with breathing problems as the most stressful event. Seventeen repondents (18.5%) cited stressful situations related to other aspects of their chronic disease, for example, experiencing exhaustion caused by the illness, and situations in which their condition restricted their daily life.
Six of the patients (6.5%) were bothered most by problems concerning close family members. Five
respondents (5.4%) referred to situations in connection
with their hospital stay (eg, the death of a patient they were sharing a room with, a quarrel with a doctor, or being disturbed by other patients in the ward). One respondent (1.1%) was concerned most with a practical issue, which involved the need for a craftsman to make apartment repairs. No statistical difference was found
between patients with and without psychological
distress regarding the types of stressful situations
reported.