Development and initial validation of the ILD-Anxiety-Questionnaire (IAQ): A new instrument for assessing disease specific fears in interstitial lung disease.

Introduction: Multiple studies focusing on chronic lung diseases (i.e. COPD), have indicated that the quality of life (QoL) can be impacted by disease-related fears.

Assessment of Childbirth-Related PTSD: Psychometric Properties of the German Version of the City Birth Trauma Scale.

About 3-4% of women in community samples suffer from childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Surprisingly, the recently developed City Birth Trauma Scale (City BiTS) was the first diagnostic tool for childbirth-related PTSD covering DSM-5 criteria for PTSD. Since no questionnaire on childbirth-related PTSD is available in German, we aimed to validate a German translation of the City BiTS and to provide information on its psychometric properties.

The Effects of Stress Beliefs on Daily Affective Stress Responses.

Background: Negative beliefs about the effects of stress have been associated with poorer health and increased mortality. However, evidence on the psychological mechanisms linking stress beliefs to health is scarce, especially regarding real-life stress.

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of stress beliefs on affect in the daily stress process in a population prone to health-impairing effects of stress: university students.

The impact of disease-specific fears on outcome measures of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with COPD.

Anxiety is a highly prevalent psychological comorbidity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has detrimental effects on pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) outcomes. It has been suggested that disease-specific fears could play an even more important role in COPD patients' disease progression. However, little is known about how different disease-specific fears impact COPD.

Screening for DSM-5 Somatic Symptom Disorder: Diagnostic Accuracy of Self-Report Measures Within a Population Sample.

Objective: The new DSM-5 somatic symptom disorder was introduced to improve the diagnosis of persons experiencing what used to be called somatoform disorders. So far, it is unclear whether existing self-report measures are useful to detect the new somatic symptom disorder. This study investigates the diagnostic accuracy of three self-report questionnaires that measure somatic complaints (15 item Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-15]) and psychological features (7-item Whiteley Index [WI-7]; Scale for Assessing Illness Behavior [SAIB]), in detecting somatic symptom disorder.

With the strength to carry on.

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are affected by somatic as well as psychological symptoms such as anxiety and depression and reduced quality of life. Protective psychological factors exist which enable people to adapt successfully to disease, but research about these factors in COPD is sparse. The aim of this study was to investigate whether sense of coherence (SOC), resilience and social support are potential protective factors and thus associated with reduced levels of symptoms of anxiety and depression and lower perceived disability in people with COPD.

Illness perceptions and coping with disease in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Effects on health-related quality of life.

This study investigated the effects of illness perceptions and coping with disease on health-related quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Therefore, participants ( N = 444) completed online questionnaires assessing illness severity (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease stage), Illness Perceptions Questionnaire, coping with disease (Essener Coping Questionnaire), and health-related quality of life (short form-12). Hierarchical regression and moderation analyses were conducted.

For better or for worse: a longitudinal study on dyadic coping and quality of life among couples with a partner suffering from COPD.

In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, impairments of dyadic coping are associated with reduced quality of life. However, existing studies have a cross-sectional design. The present study explores changes in dyadic coping over time and its long-term effects on quality of life of both patients suffering from COPD and their partners.

Prediction of end-of-life fears in COPD - hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

Objective: The diagnosis of a life-threatening illness can trigger end-of-life fears. Early studies show that end-of-life fears play an important role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, predictors of these fears have not yet been identified.

The impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-related fears on disease-specific disability.

Anxiety is frequently observed in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although anxiety in persons with COPD is multifaceted, it is mostly assessed as a general psychopathological condition. Consequently, the objectives of this study were to revise an existing questionnaire assessing relevant anxieties for use in clinical practice and research, to examine the association between COPD-related fears and disability, and finally to develop norms for COPD-related fears.