Additional evidence for the affective dimension of dyspnea in patients with COPD

Res Nurs Health. 2010 Feb;33(1):4-19. doi: 10.1002/nur.20359.

Abstract

The primary purpose of this secondary analysis was to determine whether 103 participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease rated the affective dimension of dyspnea (dyspnea-related anxiety and dyspnea-related distress) separately from the sensory dimension (intensity) during baseline exercise testing conducted as part of a randomized clinical trial. A secondary purpose was to determine if dyspnea-related anxiety and distress were rated distinctly different from other measurements of anxiety. At the end of a 6-minute walk and an incremental treadmill test, participant ratings of the magnitude of dyspnea-related anxiety and distress on the Modified Borg Scale were significantly different from their ratings of the intensity of dyspnea. Dyspnea-related anxiety and distress also appeared to be concepts independent from measures of state anxiety, negative affect, and anxiety before a treadmill test.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Affect / physiology
  • Aged
  • Anxiety / complications*
  • Anxiety / psychology
  • Dyspnea / etiology
  • Dyspnea / psychology*
  • Exercise Test
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Psychological Tests
  • Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / complications
  • Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / psychology*
  • Severity of Illness Index