Illness perceptions and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

This study aimed at identifying cognitive and emotional representations relevant for improving health care communication and quality of life (QoL) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). One-hundred-seventy-one COPD outpatients completed questionnaires on illness perceptions and QoL. After controlling for the effects of age, pulmonary function, and dyspnea, patients with decreased attention to symptoms, with more positive beliefs about the effects and outcomes of their illness, and with less strong emotional reactions to the illness, had higher QoL scores. The results of this study are discussed in relation to the associations found in other illnesses.