The role of coping strategies in mediating subjective disability in people who have psoriasis

Abstract

The study examines the role of coping strategies in people with psoriasis and on their subjective disability and psychological distress. Utilizing the appraisal and coping paradigm (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), the responses of 89 people with psoriasis were examined. A cross-section of a postal questionnaire design was used. Participants completed: the Psoriasis Disability Index (Finlay & Kelly, 1987); the Psoriasis Life Stress Inventory (Gupta & Gupta, 1995a); the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Zigmond & Snaith, 1983); and the COPE Scale (Carver et al ., 1989). Maladaptive coping strategies, in particular venting emotions and mental disengagement, were significantly associated with both subjective disability and psychological distress, accounting for a greater proportion of the variance on these measures than age, gender or duration of psoriasis. This study found elevated levels of psychological distress in a sample of people with psoriasis and provides evidence that maladaptive coping predicts subjective disability. Adaptive coping strategies were not inversely associated with the outcome measures.