BACKGROUND/AIMS

It is important to determine the relationship between depression and the sexual functions of individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

MATERIAL and METHODS

This research is a descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational study that consisted of 104 patients with COPD who were referred to the Chest Diseases Polyclinic of the Medical Faculty Hospital of one university between October 2016 and April 2017. The data of the study were collected using 3 data collection tools: the Personal Information Form, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX).

RESULTS

The results show that 20.2% of patients with COPD had severe depression. Furthermore, women with chronic obstructive lung disease were found to have more sexual problems than men, and men were found to have higher depressive symptoms than women. There was a positive, lower rate (r=0.388), significant relationship (p<.001) between the ASEX total score and the BDI total score. According to this result, as depression levels of individuals with COPD increase, their sexual problems also increase.

Keywords: It is suggested that training programs for the prevention and treatment of depression and sexual dysfunction in individuals with COPD should be implemented and that psychiatric nurses and consultation-liaison psychiatric nurses should take an active role in these trainings.