Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. It is an incurable condition caused primarily by smoking. Social support is associated with better adjustment to COPD; however, little is known about how social support affects adjustment. Research in illnesses other than COPD has shown that social environment factors (such as social support and relationship quality) affect illness perceptions, which then affect aspects of adjustment such as psychological distress. The proposed study investigates associations between illness perceptions, the social environment, and adjustment to COPD, with an emphasis on aspects of illness perceptions that are particularly pertinent in COPD. Given that COPD is caused by smoking, the proposed study specifically focuses on the extent to which people attribute their COPD to smoking, the extent to which they blame themselves for having COPD, and the extent to which they think the course of COPD can be affected by medical treatment and their own behaviors (such as quitting smoking). No research to date has investigated illness perceptions as a potential mechanism through which the social environment affects adjustment of people with COPD. ? ?
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