Associations Of Coping Strategies Research Articles

Coping with Huntington's Disease in Patients and At-Risk Individuals.

Huntington's disease (HD) presents patients and individuals at risk for HD with significant levels of stress. However, relatively little research has examined how individuals cope with stress related to the disease or the association of specific coping strategies with psychological symptoms. This study examined the ways in which HD patients and at-risk individuals cope with HD-related stress using a control-based model of coping and the association of coping strategies with symptoms of depression and anxiety. HD patients (n = 49) and at-risk individuals (n = 76) completed the Responses to Stress Questionnaire - Huntington's Disease Version to assess coping strategies in response to HD-related stress, as well as standardized measures of depression and anxiety symptoms. Patient health records were accessed to obtain information related to disease characteristics. Patients and at-risk individuals reported using comparable levels of primary control coping, secondary control coping, and disengagement coping strategies. In linear regression analyses, only secondary control coping was significantly associated with lower depression (β= -0.62, p < 0.001) and anxiety (β= -0.59, p < 0.001) symptoms in patients and at-risk individuals (β= -0.55, p < 0.001 and β= -0.50, p < 0.001, respectively). Secondary control coping may be beneficial for both HD patients and at-risk individuals. Future research using the control-based model of coping in longitudinal studies with the HD population is needed, and future interventions could test the effects of cognitive reframing and acceptance as coping strategies for families affected by HD.

640-P: Coping Strategies, Quality of Life, and Glycemic Control among Adolescents with Diabetes Distress

Objective: Up to half of adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) experience diabetes distress (DD) which has been associated with lower health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and suboptimal glycemic control. The ways in which adolescents respond to DD may serve as a risk or protective factor for these outcomes, but few studies have examined the coping strategies adolescents use to manage DD. Methods: Participants included 198 adolescents with elevated DD who completed baseline data for a randomized controlled trial (Mage 15.3±1.4, 58% female, 58% Non-Hispanic White, MT1D duration 6.4±3.7 years, MA1c = 9.2±2.2%). Adolescents completed the Responses to Stress Questionnaire, assessing coping strategies related to diabetes stressors. Subscales include primary control engagement coping (e.g., problem solving), secondary control engagement coping (e.g., positive thinking), and disengagement coping (e.g., avoidance). Adolescents also completed the Type 1 Diabetes and Life (T1DAL) measure of HRQOL. HbA1c data were gathered from medical records or at-home kits. The association of coping strategies with HRQOL and HbA1c was examined among adolescents experiencing DD. Results: Bivariate correlations revealed that higher use of primary and secondary engagement coping strategies was associated with higher HRQOL (r=0.58; r=0.58, respectively), while higher use of disengagement coping strategies was associated with lower HRQOL (r=−0.51). Higher use of primary engagement coping strategies was associated with lower HbA1c (r=−0.21) while higher use of disengagement strategies was associated with higher HbA1c (r=0.17); all p&amp;lt;0.05. Discussion: Among a diverse group of adolescents experiencing DD, the use of engagement coping strategies was significantly correlated with higher HRQOL and lower HbA1c. These results highlight the value in promoting engagement coping strategies and discouraging the use of disengagement coping strategies among adolescents experiencing DD. Disclosure E.Straton: None. H.Inverso: None. R.Streisand: None. S.S.Jaser: None. Funding National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01DK121316)

How are students coping one year after the COVID-19 lockdown? A photoelicitation project

Objective: To understand how students are coping one year after campuses were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Students at a large state university in Midwestern USA. Method: Sequential mixed method study. A photo-survey of students’ experiences was conducted as part of an ethnographic study of “college life.” Student researchers and faculty collaboratively analyzed photos and accompanying text for coping strategies. Association of coping strategies with respondents’ characteristics was assessed with inferential statistics. Results: Most respondents alluded to the negative mental toll of the pandemic and predominantly utilized emotion-focused coping strategies. Non-binary students and students who lived off but close to campus appeared to have fewer coping strategies than their peers. Conclusion: The experiences of diverse student sub-populations differ. Photos give researchers a unique vista into students’ experiences. Students – as co-researchers – can help campuses understand the stresses associated with their college experiences and how they are coping.

Association of Coping Strategies and Medication Adherence: A Systematic Review.

Background: Medication adherence is difficult for most patients who take at least one medication. Poor drug adherence is a developing problem since it contributes to negative outcomes, prescription waste, increased healthcare expenses, and disease progression. Coping strategies are an important tool for managing a patient's condition because a patient's coping method influences how he or she perceives the situation and deals with the stress that comes with it, which can eventually affect adherence. Coping strategies are classified into five categories: problem-focused, emotion-focused, seeking understanding, support seeking, and problem avoidance. Objective: The goal of this study is to examine and illustrate the association of coping strategies on medication adherence. Method: A systematic review of PubMed/MEDLINE database was conducted in order to screen and select articles. A total of 15 studies were included where they were classified by endpoints. Endpoints that were considered are medication adherence, problem-solving/active coping strategy, emotion-focused coping strategy, seeking understanding coping strategy, support seeking coping strategy and problem avoidance coping strategy. The association of each coping strategy on medication adherence was then evaluated from each article assigned to every category of coping strategies to determine if it had a favorable, negative, or no impact on medication adherence. Results: Most studies which measured problem-solving/active coping strategy (78%) had a positive association on medication adherence, followed by studies which measured emotion-focused coping strategy (69%). Majority of the studies that evaluated for problem avoidance coping strategy (50%) showed a negative association on medication adherence and a small proportion of studies (30%) showed a positive association. Four(4) of the 5 coping strategies (problem-solving/active, emotion-focused, seeking understanding and support seeking) were found to have a greater number of studies showing positive association to medication adherence as opposed to problem avoidance. Conclusion: The findings may suggest that problem-solving and emotion-focused coping strategies can be useful to help people with chronic conditions improve their medication adherence. More study is needed to establish a link between coping strategies and medication adherence in patients, which will allow pharmacists and other healthcare professionals to deliver better interventions to patients and assess for medication nonadherence due to poor coping skills.

Association of Coping Strategies with Death Anxiety through Mediating Role of Disease Perception in Patients with Breast Cancer

Background: Understanding the disease symptoms is among the important psychological and behavioral variables in cancer treatment, which is based on the acquisition of information from different sources and patient's beliefs and can affect the mental health and capability of the individual in compliance with the disease. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship of coping strategies with death anxiety through the mediation of disease perception in patients with breast cancer in Abadan city in 2020.&#x0D; Methods: The study was a descriptive correlation performed by path analysis. The statistical population included all patients with breast cancer in Abadan city and 200 of which were selected as the sample of the study using convenience sampling. The research instruments included the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), and the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ). The proposed model was evaluated using path analysis with AMOS software.&#x0D; Results: The results showed that there was a significant association between problem-focused strategy and disease perception (P= 0.002), problem-focused strategy and death anxiety (P= 0.001), emotion-focused strategy and disease perception (P= 0.001), disease perception and death anxiety (P= 0.001). There was no significant association between problem-focused strategy and death anxiety. The results of path analysis indicated that disease perception played a mediating role in the association between the emotion- and problem-focused strategies with death anxiety (P= 0.01).&#x0D; Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the proposed model had a good fit and is an important step in identifying the factors affecting the death anxiety of patients with breast cancer.

The associations between coping strategies, psychological health, and career indecision among medical students: a cross-sectional study in China

BackgroundMedical students experience difficulties in the process of making decisions about their careers, which is referred to as career indecision. This study aimed to examine the difficulties in the career decision-making processes of medical students and to explore the association of coping strategies and psychological health with career indecision. The findings may provide a reference for designing interventions to advance satisfying career decisions for medical students.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 359 medical students was conducted in 5 Chinese medical schools. Students completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire measuring their career indecision, coping strategies, and psychological health. Independent t-test, F-test, bivariate Pearson’s correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis were applied to test the relation between career indecision and the associated factors. Data were analyzed using SPSS V.22 for Windows. A p-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.ResultsDifficulties regarding lack of readiness frequently occurred in medical students when making career decisions, with the highest score of 2.48 ± 0.58. Among all the associated factors in this study, career indecision was positively associated with psychological distress problem (β = 0.20, p < 0.05). This study also proved that being at a higher level of career indecision is negatively associated with using problem-focused coping strategies (β = − 0.14, p < 0.05). For the maladaptive coping strategies, applying dysfunctional coping strategies showed a significantly positive association with career indecision among medical students (β = 0.25, p < 0.05).ConclusionsMedical students experienced difficulties regarding lack of readiness frequently when making career decisions. Both coping strategies and psychological health were associated with career indecision among medical students. To prevent career indecision, it is necessary to promote earlier career awareness to medical students. Specifically, psychological health should be addressed in career intervention programs for medical students. Additionally, when helping medical students to cope with career indecision, cognitive techniques that reduce the use of maladaptive coping strategies and enhance the use of adaptive coping strategies should be adopted.

Associations of coping strategies with quality of life (QOL) and mood in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

e19012 Background: Patients with AML who receive intensive chemotherapy experience immense physical and psychological symptoms, which can result in a substantial deterioration of QOL. As data on the relationship between AML patient coping strategies and patient-reported outcomes are lacking, we aimed to determine the associations between patients’ coping strategies and their quality of life and mood. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from a multi-site randomized supportive care trial for hospitalized patients diagnosed with AML and receiving intensive chemotherapy. Within 72 hours of initiating chemotherapy, patients completed baseline assessments of QOL (FACT-Leu), anxiety and depression symptoms (HADS), and symptom burden (ESAS). Patients also completed subscales from the Brief Cope to assess baseline use of coping strategies. We created high-order factors (approach-oriented coping vs. avoidant-oriented coping) from the coping subscales and utilized the median split method to identify the proportions of patients with high use of approach and avoidant-oriented coping strategies, respectively. We used linear regression models adjusting for age, gender and diagnosis type (newly diagnosed vs. relapsed/refractory AML) to examine the relationships between patients’ use of coping strategies and their baseline QOL, mood and symptom burden. Results: A total of 160 patients were enrolled in the study (60.0% male; median age 64.4 years [range 19.7-80.1]). Overall, 47.5% (76/160) of patients reported high use of approach-oriented coping strategies, while 38.8% (62/160) reported high use of avoidant-oriented strategies. In regression models, the greater use of approach-oriented coping strategies at baseline was associated with higher baseline QOL (β = 1.33, SE = 0.44, P= 0.003), lower depression (β = -0.28, SE = 0.07, P&lt; 0.001) and anxiety symptoms (β = -0.24, SE = 0.08, P= 0.002), and lower symptom burden (β = -0.96, SE = 0.34, P= 0.006). By contrast, the greater use of avoidant-oriented coping strategies at baseline was associated with lower baseline QOL (β = -4.98, SE = 0.81, P&lt; 0.001), higher depression (β = 0.60, SE = 0.13, P&lt; 0.001) and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.79, SE = 0.14, P&lt; 0.001), and worse symptom burden (β = 2.30, SE = 0.64, P&lt; 0.001). Conclusions: Newly hospitalized patients with AML who utilize approach-oriented coping strategies experience better baseline QOL and mood, and a lower symptom burden. These findings underscore the need for supportive care interventions that promote effective coping in patients with AML, to improve patients’ QOL and reduce their physical and psychological distress.

Coping Strategies and Subjective Well-being: Context Matters

A growing body of research suggests that the functionality of coping strategies may in part depend on the context in which they are executed. Thus far, functionality has mostly been defined through the associations of coping strategies with psychopathology, particularly depression. Whether associations of coping strategies with proxies for happiness such as subjective well-being (SWB) are simply inverse remains to be shown. A total of n = 836 individuals from the U. S. general population participated in an online survey that included a revised version of the Maladaptive and Adaptive Coping Styles Questionnaire (MAX-R) that incorporates context-specific items, the Scale of Positive and Negative Affect (SPANE), the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale (TSWLS), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Web Screening Questionnaire (WSQ). The MAX-R was submitted to an exploratory factor analysis. The factor analysis of the MAX-R yielded four subscales: adaptive, maladaptive, avoidance, and expressive suppression coping. Similar strategies in different contexts at times loaded on the same (e.g., maladaptive) or different (e.g., adaptive and avoidance) dimensions. Hierarchical multiple linear regression revealed significant associations of adaptive coping with SPANE (ß = 0.21), TSWLS (ß = 0.03), and PHQ-9 (ß = 0.07), all ps < .001, of maladaptive coping with SPANE (ß = − 0.19), TSWLS (ß = − 0.10), and PHQ-9 (ß = 0.02), all ps < .01, of avoidance with PHQ-9 (ß = 0.01, p < .001), and of expressive suppression with SPANE (ß = − 0.06) and TSWLS (ß = − 0.16), ps < .005. Final models explained 64.6% of variance in SPANE, 41.8% of variance in TSWLS, and 55% of variance in PHQ-9 score. In some instances, the functionality of coping strategies appears to be impacted by contextual factors. When investigating the overall benefit of use versus nonuse of coping strategies, their association with psychopathology measures and with subjective well-being should both be considered.

Deployment-related coping strategies in military couples: Associations with relationship satisfaction

ABSTRACT Military deployments are known to be stressful for both military service members (SMs) and their romantic partners. Little is known about how coping strategies used during deployment may relate to one’s own and one’s partner’s relationship satisfaction following deployment. This project investigated the retrospective report of how 154 SMs and their romantic partners coped with deployment-related stress, using previously established coping constructs of problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance coping. Examination of relative associations of coping strategies and mental health symptoms with SMs’ and partners’ relationship satisfaction showed that partners’ emotion-focused coping was positively related to both SMs’ and partners’ relationship satisfaction, whereas partners’ avoidance was negatively related to both their own and SMs’ relationship satisfaction. Results highlight the importance of partner coping within military couples and point to potential strategies for coping with deployment that are associated with enhanced relationship functioning after deployment.

Pain coping strategies with functional disability and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis in Lagos, Nigeria

The significant impact of coping strategies on the experience of pain and disease outcome has been associated with cultural and environmental factors. There is a dearth of studies in this environment on the association of coping strategies with clinical symptoms in patients with OA knee. This study investigated the relationship among pain coping strategy, functional disability, pain and quality of life among patients with knee osteoarthritis in Lagos, Nigeria. Involved were 102 participants diagnosed with either bilateral or unilateral Knee OA. Numerical pain rating scale (NPRS), The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC osteoarthritis index), Pain coping inventory (PCI) and SF-36 Health survey were used to evaluate participants’ pain, functional disability, pain coping strategy and quality of life (QoL) respectively. Results showed a passive pain coping index (PPCI) score of 45.89±6.49 as against 26.5±43.61 for the active pain coping index (APCI). PPC strategies were significantly related positively with pain and functional disability (p&lt;0.001; r = 0.380 and p= 0.001; r=0.334 respectively) but correlated negatively (p&lt;0.001) with all domains of QoL except for mental health. On the other hand, APC strategies correlated negatively with pain and functional disability (p=0.092; r = -0.168 and p= 0.334; r= -0.131). Our findings thus suggest a significant association between PPCS and severe pain, functional disability and poor QoL while APCS was associated with a better quality of life in patients with knee OA. It is thus suggested that active pain coping strategies be incorporated into the management of patients with OA knee.Keywords: Pain coping strategy, Knee osteoarthritis, Pain coping index, Numerical pain rating scale

Coping strategies in women with anxiety and depression during prenatal period

Objective: To determine the frequency and association of coping strategies with different levels of anxiety and depression.&#x0D; Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in private hospitals of Karachi, from January to May 2017. Data was collected from pregnant women willing to participate in the study by using non-probability convenient sampling. A questionnaire was used to gather socio-demographic and obstetric data after informed consent from pregnant women. Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) was used to identify different levels of anxiety and depression. Coping strategies were assessed by using brief inventory results which were assessed on SPSS 16.&#x0D; Results: Study group included 400 women between the ages of 18 to 38 years with a mean age of&#x0D; 27.08 ± 4.074. The adaptive strategies were used by 23.3% of the study group. Maladaptive strate- gies were adopted by 17.9% of women and 58.9% were using both adaptive and maladaptive strate- gies. There was a significant association of adaptive strategies and women appearing normal on HADS scale (p-value= 0.000, OR= .077) whereas there was negative association with maladaptive strategies and normal behaviour (p-value= 0.032, OR= 1.747). Women with borderline anxiety were using only combination of both types of strategies. Women using maladaptive strategies were having significant association with abnormal level of anxiety (p-value= 0.000, OR= 3.369) with borderline de- pression (p-value= 0.012, OR= .420) and abnormal depression (p-value= 0.000, OR= -6.657). Active coping (OR 5.952 and 6.679), instrumental (OR 4.138 and 6.679), planning (OR 10.300 and 6.646),) and positive reframing (OR 1.735 and 3.765) were protective for abnormal anxiety and abnormal de- pression. Religious practices were protective for abnormal anxiety only (OR= 4.289).&#x0D; Conclusion: Adaptive strategies are associated with normal mental status and are protective for anxiety and depression whereas maladaptive strategies are the risk factors for anxiety and depression. Pregnant women should be encouraged to adopt adaptive strategies to reduce the adverse outcome associated with anxiety and depression.

Coping strategies among nursing staff at a university hospital

Objective: to evaluate the association of coping strategies and characteristics of nursing professionals at a universityhospital. Methods: cross-sectional, quantitative study, with 92 professional nursing of an inpatient unit of a universityhospital. To evaluate them, Problems Coping Scale Mode was used, and the analysis was through the Spearman correlationcoefficient and the Mann-Whitney test. Results: a strategy focused on the problem was the most used, women seek morethe strategy focused in religious practice than men (p=0.017). The age (p=0.031), individual income (p=0.049) and workinghours (p=0.027) had also significantly correlation with the dimensions of the scale. Conclusion: socio-demographiccharacteristics are associated with coping strategies and may influence the choice of the individual for coping strategy.

The stability of coping strategies in older adults with osteoarthritis and the ability of these strategies to predict changes in depression, disability, and pain

Objectives: Given the chronically painful, incurable nature of osteoarthritis, effective cognitive and behavioral coping strategies may be critical for older adults with the disease. Little is known about how and why coping changes over time, nor about stability of coping strategies in persons with osteoarthritis. The aims of this work were to examine the structure of coping in older adults with osteoarthritis, the association of coping strategies with well-being, the stability of coping over time, and its association with changes in well-being over the same period.Method: In a cross-sectional study, 199 older adults with osteoarthritis of the knee were assessed at baseline and two-years’ follow-up. Items from two coping scales were factor analyzed, and Pearson's correlations and paired-samples t-tests assessed relative and absolute stability of the resultant coping strategies. CFA assessed the stability of the factor structure itself. Ordinary least-squares regression analyses examined the impact of change in coping on well-being.Results: A five-factor coping solution emerged: stoicism, refocusing, problem-solving, wishful-thinking, and emotion-focused coping. The factor structure showed stability over the two-year period. Absolute stability of strategies varied, indicating that change in coping styles was possible.Conclusion: Changes in coping style predicts future well-being; however, coping remains malleable with age and maladaptive strategies can be effectively targeted. Greater knowledge of the utility or maladaptive nature of a given strategy may help guide decisions about interventions for patients with osteoarthritis and encourage more adaptive coping styles.

Coping strategies of HIV-positive individuals and its correlation with quality of life in Pune, India

Quality of life including the domains of physical health and mental health are influenced by HIV infection. Coping strategies and their relationships with various domains of quality of life (QOL) were assessed among 97 HIV-infected individuals in Pune, India. Most of the infected individuals adopted emotion-focused strategies through cognitive reframing and acceptance of their HIV status. One-third adopted problem-focused coping and sought health care, scientific information and social support. Significant associations of coping strategies were observed with marital status and work and earning domains of the QOL questionnaire. Findings can help decide appropriate care and support strategies and psycho-social interventions for HIV-infected individuals.

Associations of Coping Strategies with Diary Based Pain Variables Among Caucasian and African American Patients with Osteoarthritis

The purposes of this study are to examine the associations between pain coping strategies and daily diary-based pain measures and to determine whether these associations differed by race (African American and Caucasian). Primary care patients from the Durham Veterans Affairs and Duke University Medical Centers (N = 153) with hand, hip, or knee osteoarthritis (OA) completed electronic pain diaries on a one-weekend day and one weekday. The maximum, range (maximum minus minimum pain), and area under the curve (AUC) of joint pain ratings were calculated. Pain coping (Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) coping attempts, catastrophizing, and praying/hoping subscale scores) was assessed prior to diary entries and at the end of each diary day (total, problem-focused, and emotion-focused scores from Stone and Neale's Daily Coping Inventory). Pearson correlations between pain variables and coping measures were examined. Linear mixed models were fit including age, race, weekend/weekday, study enrollment site, education level, pain medication use, self-rated health, Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales affect and function subscales, and interactions of coping measures with race and weekend day/weekday status. Correlations between coping and pain measures were 0.12-0.45. In adjusted models, maximum pain and pain range were associated with all three diary-based coping measures; maximum pain was associated with CSQ coping attempts; and AUC was associated with CSQ praying/hoping. Interactions were not significant. Among participants with OA, pain coping strategies were related to important aspects of the pain experience, particularly pain range and maximum pain. However, race did not modify associations of pain coping strategy use and the pain experience.

Coping in adult patients with severe haemophilia

An adequate use of coping strategies could help patients to deal with disease-related stress. The study aim was to explore coping behaviour in adult patients with severe haemophilia and its possible determinants. Coping was assessed through three basic dimensions (task-oriented, emotion-oriented and avoidance coping), using the short version of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-21). Patients' scores were compared with Dutch working men (N=374), according to three categories: low use (<P25 of normal), average use (P25-P75) and high use (>P75). Determinants were measured using questionnaires on activities (Haemophilia Activities List), participation (Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire), physical functioning [physical component of the Dutch Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales-2 (D-AIMS2)] and socio-psychological health (psychological component of the D-AIMS2). In total, 86 adults with severe haemophilia (FVIII/IX<1%) were included. The median age was 38years (range: 18-68) with 85% affected with haemophilia A and 75% using prophylaxis. Patients with haemophilia used task-oriented coping as frequently as the control group (P=0.13); but used significantly less emotion-oriented coping (57% vs. 25%, P<0.05) and avoidance coping (P<0.05). Emotion-oriented coping showed a strong correlation with socio-psychological health (r=0.67) and weak correlations with participation (r=0.32) and social interaction (r=0.29). Other associations of coping strategies with patient characteristics of health status could not be demonstrated. Overall, patients predominantly used the task-oriented approach to deal with their disease; the use of this strategy was comparable to the control group. Having a poor psychological health, less social interaction and/or less participation in daily life was associated with an increased use of emotion-oriented coping.

Anxiety and depression are associated with coping strategies in caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients: results from the MÁLAGA-AD study

Caregiving for people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is highly stressful and has significant negative consequences, such as anxiety and depression. Previous research offers conflicting findings as to whether coping strategies are associated with greater psychological distress or not. We conducted this study with a view to obtaining new data regarding the association of coping strategies and psychological distress in AD caregivers. Eighty people with AD and their primary caregivers living in the community were recruited from local health services. Purposive recruitment was carried out to ensure that the sample was representative of people living with dementia in terms of dementia severity, gender, and care setting. We used the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory to measure anxiety, the Beck Depression Inventory to measure depression, and the Coping Strategies Inventory to measure coping strategies. Most caregivers reported higher anxiety and depression levels. Use of disengagement coping strategies (Wald = 3.35, p = 0.01) and higher caregiver burden (Wald = 4.83, p = 0.02) predicted anxiety on logistic regression. In turn, use of disengagement coping strategies (Wald = 12.48, p = 0.001) and higher caregiver burden (Wald = 6.91, p = 0.009) predicted depression on logistic regression. These results may be useful for designing treatment interventions that aim to modify the use of coping strategies and thus reduces caregiver anxiety and depression.

Coping strategies in patients with interstitial cystitis: relationships with quality of life and depression.

Previous research has demonstrated that interstitial cystitis patients experience depressive symptoms and decrements to quality of life. However, to our knowledge the extent to which patients may be able to influence quality of life and depressive symptoms through coping strategies has not been investigated in this population. In a number of other chronic conditions specific coping strategies have been associated with the degree of impairment beyond disease severity. Therefore, the association of coping strategies with depressive symptoms, quality of life and self-reports of pain was assessed in patients with interstitial cystitis. A total of 64 females with interstitial cystitis were recruited from a urology clinic at a tertiary medical center. Questionnaires assessing depression, quality of life, coping and symptom severity were completed and returned at a clinic appointment. Depression was also measured through a standardized semi-structured interview (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression). All analyses controlled for age. Patients coping by greater catastrophizing reported greater impairments in various domains, including depressive symptoms, general mental health, social functioning, vitality and pain. Greater venting was associated with greater depressive symptoms and poorer mental health. Seeking instrumental social support was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that maladaptive coping strategies are associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and quality of life decrements in patients with this condition. Psychosocial interventions aimed at increasing adaptive coping may positively impact the female experience with interstitial cystitis.

Coping Strategies in Patients with Interstitial Cystitis: Relationships with Quality of Life and Depression

Previous research has demonstrated that interstitial cystitis patients experience depressive symptoms and decrements to quality of life. However, to our knowledge the extent to which patients may be able to influence quality of life and depressive symptoms through coping strategies has not been investigated in this population. In a number of other chronic conditions specific coping strategies have been associated with the degree of impairment beyond disease severity. Therefore, the association of coping strategies with depressive symptoms, quality of life and self-reports of pain was assessed in patients with interstitial cystitis. A total of 64 females with interstitial cystitis were recruited from a urology clinic at a tertiary medical center. Questionnaires assessing depression, quality of life, coping and symptom severity were completed and returned at a clinic appointment. Depression was also measured through a standardized semi-structured interview (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression). All analyses controlled for age. Patients coping by greater catastrophizing reported greater impairments in various domains, including depressive symptoms, general mental health, social functioning, vitality and pain. Greater venting was associated with greater depressive symptoms and poorer mental health. Seeking instrumental social support was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that maladaptive coping strategies are associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and quality of life decrements in patients with this condition. Psychosocial interventions aimed at increasing adaptive coping may positively impact the female experience with interstitial cystitis.

Child-Rearing Effectiveness of Divorced Mothers:

The association of coping strategies and social sup- port to maternal distress and parenting style was investigated. Inter- views were conducted with 58 divorced mothers of preschool chil- dren. Results indicated that use of active behavioral and cognitive coping strategies was associated with feelings of control in child- rearing situations and with authoritative parenting. Reliance on cop- ing strategies that involved distancing, escape/avoidance, and social support was associated with symptoms of distress. Availability of family members for social support was generally associated with less authoritative parenting behavior, but also with less distress. Availability of friends was related to more authoritative behavior, but more distress. Coping and social support by friends contributed significantly to authoritativeness and distress beyond the variance contributed by mothers' education, financial stability, time since separation, and geographical region.