Coping and illness behavior among young adults with panic.

Abstract

The present study investigated illness behavior and coping strategies among young adults with panic (N = 21), with other anxiety disorders (N = 27), and without anxiety disorders (controls; N = 296). The sample represented a cross-section of 29- to 30-year-old adults from the canton of Zurich in Switzerland. Coping was defined as the ways in which subjects react to life stress. Illness behavior was defined as use of medical care and substance consumption. Subjects with panic differed significantly from subjects with other anxiety disorders and controls in their coping strategies by seeking social support, using cognitive avoidance, and using rumination more frequently. Cognitive avoidance and rumination, however, are ineffective and maladaptive ways of dealing with stress. With respect to illness behavior, we found fewer differences. Subjects with panic had more psychiatric consultations and more days off from work than controls, but otherwise, they did not use medical care excessively. Also, their consumption of psychoactive substances was minimal, with the exception of tranquilizers. There was no indication of excessive use of nonpsychiatric medical care. The possible implications of these findings for psychotherapy and diagnostics are discussed.