The Sisyphean Breath: Role of Anxiety Sensitivity and Distress Tolerance in Dyspnea among adults with Asthma and COPD

ABSTRACT

Asthma and COPD are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, im- pacting over 260 million people and causing over 3 million deaths globally (Momtaz- manesh, S. et al., 2023). Pulmonary symptoms can impair tolerance and increase the negative attribution of anxiety sensations. Reciprocally, anxiety associated with dys- pnea can induce hyperventilation. This perpetuates a cycle of symptom exacerbation and poor treatment adherence. Managing laboured breathing is challenging due to its subjective nature. Dyspnea is a sufferer’s endless pursuit to breathe, rendering its experience as truly, “Sisyphean”. This study explored the role of anxiety sensitivity and distress tolerance in dyspnea among adults with asthma and COPD (N = 107). A single-group cross-sectional research design was used. Data from pulmonologist- diagnosed adults with asthma and COPD were collected across various clinics in Delhi-NCR. It was found that the anxiety sensitivity, distress tolerance and dyspnea were strongly correlated. Also, an increase in anxiety sensitivity was strongly predictive of dyspnea severity. Further, distress tolerance acted as a partial mediator between anxiety sensitivity and dyspnea. Improving distress tolerance can act as an adjuvant in effective dyspnea management.

KEYWORDS:

• Dyspnea
• Anxiety Sensitivity
• Distress Tolerance Asthma
• COPD

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Notes

1 A phrase coined by the author to characterize the experience of dyspnea.

Additional information

Funding

Author(s) declare that this as a non-funded research