Explaining the Severity of Symptoms in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease based on Health-Promoting Style with a Mediating role of Personality Traits

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of the diseases that can limit the function of the lungs and consequently the function of the patient's whole body. Therefore, research related to this disease can be effective. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explain the severity of symptoms in patients with COPD based on health-promoting style with a mediating role of personality traits.

Methods and Materials: 

The present study was descriptive and structural equation modeling. The statistical population of this study included all patients with COPD who referred to the health center of Kosar Hospital in Semnan for a period of 1 year from April to March 2016. 205 people were selected by random sampling method and completed the research questionnaires. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling using SPSSV19 and LISRELV8.80 software.

The results showed that health promotion has a negative and significant effect on neurosis and disease severity. Health promotion has a positive and significant effect on other personality traits (P<0.01). The results also showed that the health-promoting lifestyle variable has an indirect and significant effect on the severity of symptoms due to extraversion (-0.13) and conscientiousness (-0.15).

The findings of this study indicate that the variables of personality traits and health-promoting style were related to the severity of symptoms in patients with COPD and had a direct and indirect effect on it. Therefore, experts' knowledge of these variables can help to improve the lifestyle of people with COPD.