ИСТИНА

Dysfunctional breathing is a pattern of respiratory movements that do not correspond to the physiological needs of the body and can lead to a series of respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, sensory and neurological symptoms (Boulding et al., 2016; Vidotto et al., 2019). The causes of dysfunctional breathing are a combination of biological, psychological and social factors. Objective To examine the relationship between anxiety and occurrence of dysfunctional breathing in the Russian population under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We used a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Nijmegen questionnaire (Van Dixhorn, Duivenvoordent, 1985), the STAI (Spielberger et al., 1983), which was modified to study the level of anxiety during and before the pandemic, respectively. The study was conducted online from April 27 to December 28, 2020. It was attended by 1,362 people from all regions of Russia, including 1,153 women and 209 men aged 15 to 88 years (38.3 ±11.4) Results Using the conjugacy tables, it was revealed that with a low level of anxiety (< 35 points) during the pandemic, dysfunctional breathing was detected in 4.8% of respondents; with an average level (from 35 to 44 points) in 18.2%; with a high level of anxiety (from 45 to 59) in 33.8%, with a borderline level of anxiety (> 60 points) at 55.9%. A similar dependence was found for personal anxiety, which was formulated as the level of anxiety before the pandemic: at a low level (< 35 points), dysfunctional breathing was detected in only 4% of respondents; at an average level (from 35 to 44 points), 15.7%; at a high level of anxiety (from 45 to 59) in 38.3%, at a borderline level of anxiety (> 60 points) at 62.8%. Conclusions Dysfunctional breathing can occur among people with high and borderline levels of situational and personal anxiety from 33 to 60% of respondents during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, it is important to note that a small percentage with a low level of anxiety and the presence of dysfunctional breathing, as well as among respondents with a high level of anxiety, may not have dysfunctional breathing. This allows us to conclude that dysfunctional breathing and anxiety are not interchangeable concepts, although they have a common phenomenological field. Disclosure of information: The study was carried out with the support of the Russian Science Foundation, project No. 21-18-00624.