Edited and reviewed by: Changiz Mohiyeddini, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, United States
†These authors have contributed equally to this work and share first authorship
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Over the last few decades, there has been a growing body of literature on the influence that psychological factors can have on chronic respiratory diseases and how these, in turn, might have major implications on the psychological distress and quality of life of those affected. Over time, a strong association between increased symptoms of anxiety and depression and chronic respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (Vieira et al.,
However, it is important to note that, on the one hand, the literature on the psychological implications of respiratory health is often controversial and with little clinical applicability, and on the other hand, there is still too little awareness of these issues on the part of both health professionals and the general population.
The main aim of this Research Topic is to present the most recent advances in research on the psychological factors involved in respiratory diseases, as well as their implications in the health management process.
This opening essay outlines the contributions and ways in which they help us better understand the psychological challenges faced by people with a chronic respiratory disease. Unanswered questions will be highlighted to encourage direction to the focus of new research in the future.
The nine original research articles in this Research Topic address three main themes related to psychological challenges in respiratory disease:
- What are the psychological and cognitive factors involved in the use of medications/devices/medical visits and daily activities?
- What are possible innovative psychological treatments for respiratory diseases?
- Which tools can help identify and prevent mental health symptoms in respiratory diseases?
A substantial body of studies now demonstrates that pulmonary rehabilitation is effective in reducing respiratory symptoms by providing both educational and self-management components to improve exercise capacity, clinical outcomes, quality of life, and understanding of the disease, as well as involvement and adherence to proposed treatments (Hayton et al.,
In light of the recent psychological and cognitive factors studied, there is an urgent need to propose multidisciplinary interventions, including innovative approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, studied by
In recent years, moreover, the use of different instruments to detect often non-specific psychological and cognitive factors has become apparent, which is why it is important to converge toward the application of measurement tools that differentiate general symptoms of anxiety or depression from those typically found in various populations with respiratory diseases, as in the study of
Although the intake and delineation of psychological interventions for respiratory diseases is a complex task, requiring integration and process, all papers in this Research Topic highlight new methods and strategies that can be employed to identify psychological and cognitive factors, as well as their treatment, paying attention to the specificity of the conditions. This allows clinicians and scientists to progressively develop cutting-edge interventions that are attentive to personalization and not only to classificatory diagnosis but also to the management of experiences that are not necessarily to be considered mental illnesses.
This Research Topic on psychological factors in respiratory diseases was initially proposed and set up and this editorial introduction was led by EV. All the editors worked collaboratively to decide which papers were accepted or rejected, and each manuscript was subject to review by the panel of editors as well as peer reviewers. All the editorial team contributed their thoughts and revisions to help craft the published document.
We would like to thank very much those colleagues who have contributed to investigating the role of psychological factors in chronic respiratory diseases by taking part in this Research Topic and those who continue to study in this field.
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; CF, Cystic Fibrosis; PCD, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia; LTOT, Long-Term Oxygen Therapy; NIV, Non-Invasive Ventilation; PAM, Patient Activation Measure; CPAP, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; CF-CBT, Cystic Fibrosis-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.