Breathlessness catastrophizing relates to poorer quality of life in adults with cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common genetic disease affecting children and young adults in Canada. It is a multi-system disease, however lung disease is largely responsible for mortality. Treatment advances have resulted in increased life expectancy and a subsequent need to better understand psychosocial issues associated with quality of life in adults living with CF. Emerging research suggests that anxiety and depression are related to poorer health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in CF patients, but there is little research examining cognitive processes, such as breathlessness catastrophizing. The present study addresses this gap in the literature.

METHODS: Participants in this study are based on a convenience sample of patients recruited during their regular CF clinic appointments at a tertiary care center. Forty-five adults (Mage  = 30.73 years) completed measures of lung function, depression, anxiety, pain, breathlessness catastrophizing, and HRQoL at one time point.

RESULTS: Results of a hierarchical multiple regression indicate that increased breathlessness catastrophizing was related to poorer HRQoL, after controlling for lung function, depression, anxiety, and pain (p < .05). Depression, pain, and breathlessness catastrophizing all emerged as significant unique predictors of HRQoL.

CONCLUSIONS: Breathlessness catastrophizing is a potential target for clinical intervention and might impact HRQoL. Further research on breathlessness catastrophizing in CF is warranted including longitudinal studies to examine the mechanisms by which breathlessness catastrophizing relates to HRQoL and treatment outcomes in CF.