Objective To investigate the status quo of benefit finding in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to identify potential subgroups and their population characteristics, so as to provide reference for the development of targeted and specific psychological interventions. Methods Convenience sampling was used to survey 337 patients with COPD using the general information questionnaire, Benefit Finding Scale, Family Cohesion Scale, and Disease Coping Style Questionnaire. The latent profile analysis was used to establish the subgroup model, and one-way analysis of variance and ordered logistic regression analysis were used to explore the influencing factors of potential categories of patients′ benefit finding. Results Patients′ benefit finding could be divided into three potential categories:low benefit group (24.93%), medium benefit group (57.86%) and high benefit-personal growth group (17.21%). Ordered Logistic regression showed that gender, medical insurance, frequency of exercise per week, course of disease, and medical coping style in facing and yielding were the influencing factors of patients′ benefit finding (all P<0.05). Conclusion There are three potential categories of benefit finding in patients with COPD. Medical workers can develop targeted interventions based on patients′ different demographic characteristics and potential categories of benefit finding to improve patients′ level of benefit finding, prognosis and quality of life.