Associations between self-conscious emotions and sociodemographic factors, lifestyle, burden of disease, and healthcare interventions: A cross-sectional study with people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

INTRODUCTION

Self-conscious emotions, such as shame and guilt, can lead to negative health behaviors in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim was to investigate which factors - sociodemographic, lifestyle, burden of disease, and healthcare interventions - are associated with self-conscious emotions in people with COPD.

METHODS

People with COPD answered a questionnaire with questions about self-conscious emotions, sociodemographic factors, lifestyle, disease burden, and previous healthcare interventions. The relationship between self-conscious emotions and the other variables were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 136 participants (68 % women, 73.5 ± 7.87 years, FEV1 % pred. 53.1 ± 19.3) were included. Emotions of shame were significantly associated with being a woman (p = 0.020), reporting physical activity below recommended levels (p = 0.029), being a smoker (p = 0.018), more severe symptoms (p = 0.035), and more exacerbations (p = 0.013). Meanwhile, emotions of guilt, worry and grief were significantly associated with reporting physical activity below recommended levels (p < 0.001), worse lung function (p = 0.018), more symptoms (p < 0.001), more breathlessness (p = 0.005), more comorbidities (p = 0.007), and worse subjective health (p < 0.001). No significant associations were found between self-conscious emotions and previous healthcare interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals significant differences in how people with COPD experience self-conscious emotions, with specific subgroups exhibiting distinct emotional profiles. These emotions may stem from dominant norms in society and can contribute to negative health behaviors. Healthcare professionals need to acknowledge self-conscious emotions and tailor their healthcare interventions accordingly. Because of the small sample size, the findings need to be considered with caution and more comprehensive studies about COPD-related self-conscious emotions are needed.