Satisfaction with Life and Adaptive Reactions in People Treated for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common illness. An individualized approach to changes caused by a chronic disease includes specific activity resulting from cognitive-emotional predispositions. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected factors such as satisfaction with life, health self-assessment, duration of the illness, and the way of coping with disease on adaptive reactions in COPD patients. The study involved 109 COPD patients. The Adaptive Responses Inventory and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were used for the assessment of variables. We found that the majority of patients had low or very low satisfaction with life (63.3% and 22.0%, respectively). There was an inverse association between anxiety and satisfaction with life (r = −0.279; p < 0.003). Patients who assessed their health as good or very good showed a significantly greater satisfaction with life (p < 0.001). In the main, attitudes demonstrating a greater satisfaction with life and motivation to cope with COPD did not predominate among the patients. A poor state of mind, and stress inversely affected satisfaction. We conclude that although positive stress can mobilize to fight for better health, anxiety caused by illness has a negative connotation as it may demotivate to protect and maintain better health and consequently may reduce satisfaction with life.