Date Submitted
7-20-2026
Faculty Advisor
Jennifer Fugate
Abstract
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a lifelong chronic illness which significantly affects daily life. Due to the enormous treatment burden that accompanies this disease, much research has focused on
quality of life and how this may impact psychopathology. Despite the enormous adversity faced
by this population, research has found low rates of psychopathology and high self-perceived
quality of life. Although several studies have conducted research exploring what factors could
lead to the development of psychopathology, very few studies have investigated specifically
how the presence of character strengths could affect one's quality of life. This dissertation explored this phenomenon through the lens of positive psychology utilizing the Values in Action Inventory of Character Strengths (VIA-IS-P). Participants (n = 101) included adults with a diagnosis of CF. Participants were asked to complete a quality-of-life (QoL) survey, the VIA inventory of character strengths, as well as the Depression Stress and Anxiety Scale (DASS-21). It was hypothesized that virtues of the participants would reliably predict QoL. Overall, QoL for CF patients were lower than average. Additionally, the virtue of temperance was positively associated with QoL. Additionally, depression negatively predicted QoL. Future studies could examine the effectiveness of Temperance based intervention on QoL in individuals with CF.
