Analysis of factors influencing breathlessness catastrophizing in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To identify factors affecting breathlessness catastrophizing severity in Chinese COPD patients.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of 300 COPD patients from a tertiary hospital in Changchun, China was conducted. Demographic information and indicators such as breathlessness catastrophizing were measured using structured questionnaires. Multiple linear regression was used for analysis.

RESULTS

Participants' median age was 68 years (IQR 60-73). Multiple regression identified anxiety (β' = 0.397, p < 0.001), activities of daily living (β' = 0.200, p < 0.001), average monthly income (β' = 0.138, p = 0.001), health status (β' = 0.179, p = 0.004), and smoking history (β' = 0.096, p = 0.025) as significant predictors. These factors collectively explained 48.0% of the variance in catastrophizing scores (R² = 0.480, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Breathlessness catastrophizing was multifactorial, linked to psychological distress, physical impairment, health status, and socioeconomic factors, highlighting key targets for management strategies.