Table 2

Characteristics of psychological interventions

First author, year, reference	Sampling and setting	Intervention	Control group	Intervention components	Number of sessions	Session duration (min)	Frequency	Delivered by	Delivery method	Follow-up
Psychological interventions
de Godoy, 200332	Patients with COPD referred from the University Department of Respiratory Diseases to attend an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation group	Psychotherapy integrated into the pulmonary rehabilitation program	Pulmonary rehabilitation program without psychotherapy	Addressing patients’ psychosocial needs, social, marital, work, health, interpersonal philosophy, habits. Cognitive and logotherapy techniques were used	12	Not reported	Once per week over 12 weeks	Not reported	Not reported	Assumed to be after 12 weeks
Hynninen, 201033	Patients with COPD recruited from an outpatient pulmonary clinic at a University hospital and by newspaper advertisement	CBT	Enhanced standard care	Psychoeducation/awareness, relaxation, cognitive therapy, behavioural activation, fear-based exposure, sleep management skills	7	120	Once per week over 7 weeks	Masters-level psychology student, sessions videotaped and monitored by a specialist in clinical psychology	Group session of 4–6 participants	2 months and 8 months
Jiang, 201234	Han Chinese COPD outpatients recruited at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University	Uncertainty management	Standard care	Cognitive coping strategies on uncertainty regarding exacerbations delivered on audio CD, self-help manual on behavioural strategies, COPD education, management skills, instructional booklet and cards, four telephone contacts delivered by nurses in first 4 weeks where one cognitive coping skill was practised over the phone	4	35	Once per week over 4 weeks	Intervention nurses	Individual—by phone call	10 months
Kunik, 200135	Patients with COPD recruited from an academically affiliated Veterans Affairs Hospital and local newspaper	CBT	COPD education	Education on role of psychological distress in chronic illness, components of anxiety, cognitive behaviour skills in coping such as relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, posture, exposure to anxiety provoking situations. Provision of workbooks and audiotapes to review skills and practice exercises	1	120	Once only	Board-certified geropsychiatrist	Group session	1 call per week for 6 weeks post-treatment
Kunik, 200836	Patients with COPD identified and recruited through an administrative database at the attended medical centre and flyer and advertisement methods	CBT	COPD education	Psycho-education/awareness on physiological, cognitive and behavioural symptoms of anxiety and depression, relaxation, cognitive therapy, problem solving, sleep management, increasing pleasurable activity, decreasing anxiety-related avoidance	8	60	Once over week over 8 weeks	Psychology interns and post-doctoral fellows with experience in CBT	Group sessions of up to 10 patients	4, 8 and 12 weeks
Lamers, 201010	Patients with COPD recruited from general practices. Home setting	Minimal psychological intervention	Usual care	Nurse-led intervention addressing the patient's feelings, cognitions and behaviours, patient diary keeping, awareness of mood relation to behaviour, self-management training to alter behaviour, action plans	4 (average) tailored to individual patients	60	Varied number of sessions over a period of at most 3 months	Nurses trained by a GP, psychologist and psychiatrist	Individual	3 months
Livermore, 201037	Patients with COPD identified in the respiratory medicine department outpatient clinic of the teaching hospital	CBT	Routine care	Psycho-education, awareness of stress response on breathing, cycle of panic anxiety, cognitive challenging of negative thoughts, pursed lip breathing, activity planning, pacing and problem solving	4	60	Once per week over 4 weeks	Experienced clinical psychologist	Individual	6, 12 and 18 months

CBT, cognitive behaviour therapy; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; GP, general practitioner; PR, pulmonary rehabilitation.