Association of Psycho-social Traits for the Benefit of a First Respiratory Rehabilitation Course - Exploratory Study.

Respiratory Rehabilitation (RR) is based on a comprehensive multidisciplinary program of personalized and tailored care for patients with chronic respiratory diseases. The effectiveness of RR in improving quality of life and exercise capacity has long been demonstrated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). More recently, its interest has been highlighted in other chronic respiratory pathologies: asthma, interstitial pathologies, cancer, restrictive pathologies or pulmonary arterial hypertension. Although the efficacy of RR has been well demonstrated on the scale of a patient population, the benefits derived on an individual scale remain unpredictable and variable from one individual to another, without knowing the major determinants of this benefit. Empirically, RR professionals suspect an association between some psychosocial characteristics and the importance of the benefit derived by patients from RR programmes. Individual personality traits and their relationship to health status, integration into a group, interaction with other group members, and the existence of anxiety or depressive symptoms may be determinants of RR benefit. These psychosocial determinants could also play a central role in the patients' adherence to the long-term rehabilitation process. The hypothesis being tested is that there is an association between personality traits, anxiety, depressive symptoms, social support, and the benefit of an initial course of RR and the subsequent continuation of maintenance practices.