I:Tailored intervention for anxiety and depression management in COPD

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    A tailored, psychological intervention for mild to moderate anxiety and/or depression in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Pre-pilot qualitative study

  • IRAS ID

    206304

  • Contact name

    Stephanie J C Taylor

  • Contact email

    s.j.c.taylor@qmul.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Queen Mary University of London

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 2 months, 30 days

  • Research summary

    Many people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are affected by anxiety and/or depression. The prevalence of depression increases with severity of COPD. Although depression is common in COPD it is widely reported as being under recognised and undertreated. Anxiety is reported across all ranges of COPD severity, with cited prevalence ranging from 10 to 50%. It is associated with lower levels of self-efficacy, persistent smoking, impaired health status and worse physical functioning. Management of psychological problems in COPD remains poor.
    Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an evidence based treatment which explores the links between situations thoughts, feelings, physical symptoms and behaviour. By developing new skills, unhelpful thoughts and behaviours can be challenged and changed. CBT is recommended for the treatment of many mental health problems, and it improves anxiety and depression in a number of physical conditions including COPD. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is one of the cornerstones of treatment for COPD: it alleviates the disability associated with the disease, primarily through a package of exercise training and education, which attempts to break the cycle of physical disability with the associated anxiety, despondency, inactivity and isolation. However poor uptake and high drop-out rates indicate considerable room for improvement. Recent evidence suggests benefit from interventions which combine exercise with psychological interventions in COPD.
    The aim of the study is to refine a tailored, cognitive behavioural approach (CBA) psychological intervention, which links into, and optimises, the benefits of routine PR, with the aim of reducing mild/moderate anxiety and/or depression in people with moderate/severe COPD.
    The study will have three phases. In THIS PHASE (I) we will complete the development of the training package to deliver the intervention and conduct a pre-pilot study in which we will administer the one-to-one psychological component of the intervention to six patients with mild/moderate depression and/or anxiety.

  • REC name

    Wales REC 4

  • REC reference

    16/WA/0230

  • Date of REC Opinion

    5 Aug 2016

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion