Research project Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, is a disease often stigmatized in society and considered self-inflicted by smoking. Stigma-related emotions of shame and guilt may hinder people with COPD in their self-management, leading to poorer health. There is a lack of knowledge about the association between these emotions and self-management. There is also a lack of knowledge about how people with COPD experience performing a behaviour change as part of their self-management.
In a questionnaire study, we investigate the association between emotions of shame and guilt and self-management,as well as background factors among individuals with COPD. In an interview study, we explore how people with COPD experience performing a behaviour change as part of their self-management. The results from the project are an important basis for developing interventions to reduce the effects of shame and guilt.
Self-management is important for improving the health and well-being of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as preventing hospitalizations and healthcare costs. Self-management is about an individual's strategies for dealing with symptoms and other consequences of an illness. Stigma-related emotions of shame and guilt have been identified in this patient group, which may hinder self-management. There is a lack of knowledge about the association between shame and guilt and self-management in people with COPD and what background factors among the individuals that are associated with shame and guilt. There is also a lack of knowledge how people with COPD experience performing a behaviour change.
The research project aims to investigate how shame and guilt influence self-management in people with COPD and what background factors are associated with shame and guilt. One part of the project is to evaluate the use of two questionnaires in this patient group. The project also explores how people with COPD experience performing a behaviour change as part of their self-management, and what obstacles and opportunities they have experienced. The project includes a questionnaire study and an interview study.
People with COPD in primary care and secondary care answers questionnaires. The questionnaires deal with perceived shame and guilt, need for self-management support, demographics, disease information, COPD-specific knowledge and confidence in one's own ability.
By conducting interviews with people with COPD, the project explores how they have experienced a behavioural change. Behaviour change is an important part of self-care. The interviews aim to explore the opportunities and obstacles that the participants experience have arisen during the behaviour change process and how they have dealt with them. Shame and guilt can be such an obstacle.
The knowledge from the project is valuable in the development of interventions to reduce the impact of shame and guilt on self-management among people with COPD. The knowledge can also be valuable for other groups where stigma-related emotions can be obstacles to self-management.
