Health Anxiety in COPD V1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Impact of Health Anxiety in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
IRAS ID
325752
Contact name
Adele Smith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford/ Research Governance, Ethics and Assurance
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a debilitating life-long physical health condition which has been identified as the third leading cause of death worldwide (WHO, 2019). COPD is a condition which impacts the lungs, resulting in symptoms such as breathlessness, tightness of chest, chronic cough (with or without mucus) and tiredness. Research has shown that individuals with COPD often experience high levels of anxiety, higher than that of the general population without a COPD diagnosis.
Research of other chronic physical health conditions, such as multiple sclerosis or stroke, have found that health anxiety (HA) is significantly prevalent. Individuals with a chronic physical health condition and high HA were more likely to have lower quality of life, higher disability, higher general anxiety and higher depression scores on self-report outcome measures.
In addition, one study found that individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis who scored high on HA were more likely to misperceive themselves as being more impaired on a physical functioning task than they really were. This was in comparison to a group with multiple sclerosis and who scored low on the HA outcome measure. Furthermore, they were more likely to attribute their functioning to their chronic condition, more so than those with low HA.
We are interested in exploring the impact that high HA has on a community NHS sample of individuals with a COPD diagnosis who are referred for a pulmonary rehabilitation program. We would explore whether HA impacts upon perceptions of physical functioning on a 6-minute walk task. This 6-minute walk task is completed as part of a routine assessment prior to engagement in pulmonary rehabilitation program. Furthermore, to explore whether HA impacts upon self-reported quality of life, disability, and mood.
REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
23/WA/0290
Date of REC Opinion
18 Oct 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion