The Effect Of Death Anxiety On Psychosocial Adjustment In Individual With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

This study was carried out in a descriptive manner in order to determine the effect of death anxiety on psychosocial adjustment in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The study was carried out on 150 inpatients and outpatients who were being treated at the thoracic diseases department of a state hospital during January 1– April 20, 2016. Personal Information Form, Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) and Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale-Self Report (PAIS-SR) were used for data acquisition. The data were analyzed via IBM SPSS 22 software. The DAS mean score of the patients was determined as 6.96±3.45, PAIS-SR total mean score was determined as 67.54±14.96. The areas that were affected the most from among the sub-dimensions of the PAIS-SR scale were Professional Environment (13.62±2.62), Social Environment (12.81±4.07), Sexual Relations (10.22±3.55) areas respectively. A positive and statistically significant relationship was determined between the death anxiety and psychosocial adjustments of the patients (p<0.05). It can be concluded as a result of the study that the death anxieties of COPD patients are at a moderate level, that their psychosocial adjustments to the disease are at a bad level and that their psychosocial adjustments to the illness and to life are disrupted with increasing death anxiety. Psychiatry nurses can contribute to increasing the psychosocial adjustment to the illness of the patient by helping the patient and his/ her family in adjusting to the changes in their life styles, preventing non-beneficial adjustments, developing the coping skills of the patient and his/ her family and accordingly making the necessary planning. Keywords: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Death Anxiety, Psychosocial Adjustment, Psychiatric Nursing