The Relationship Between Benefit Finding and Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: The Mediating Effects of Self-Management

Objective: To explore the relationships among benefit finding (BF), self-management, and quality of life (QOL) among patients with COPD.
Methods: A total of 205 patients with COPD were selected via a convenient sampling method. BF refers to the ability to find meaning or benefit from difficult situations. The Benefit Finding Scale (BFS), self-management scale, and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (MOS SF-36) were used to investigate BF, self-management and QOL (including a physical component summary (PCS) and a psychological component summary (MCS)). Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships among BF, self-management and QOL in patients with COPD and to analyze the effects of BF and self-management on QOL.
Results: The total QOL score of patients with COPD was 61.38± 21.15, and the PCS and MCS scores were 57.67± 23.60 and 65.09± 21.24, respectively. BF and self-management had positive predictive effects on both the PCS (β_BF = 0.519, P_BF = 0.012; β_{self-management} = 0.473, P_{self-management} = 0.012) and MCS (β_BF = 0.425, P_BF = 0.013; β_{self-management} = 0.535, P_{self-management} = 0.016) of patients with COPD, and self-management mediated the relationships of BF with the PCS (β = 0.144, P = 0.008) and MCS (β = 0.162, P = 0.007).
Conclusion: The QOL of patients with COPD needs to be improved, especially in terms of physical aspects. Helping COPD patients obtain better BF not only helps them improve their PCS and MCS directly but also indirectly through enhancing self-management to improve their PCS and MCS.

Keywords: COPD, benefit finding, self-management, quality of life