Emotion-focused Coping Styles Research Articles

Cognitive Enhancement and Coping in an Australian University Student Sample

Cognitive enhancement (CE) agents are those purported to improve or augment aspects of cognition such as working memory, creativity, and executive function in healthy individuals. CE by university students looking to improve their academic performance, particularly through the use of pharmacological agents (or nootropics), has become an area of increasing interest for researchers. However, studies on the prevalence of, and motivations behind, students’ CE use at Australian universities are limited. This study aimed to contribute a new sample of prevalence data, as well as corroborate previous qualitative research that has suggested that emotion-focused and avoidant coping styles may make students more susceptible to utilizing CE drugs. A sample of N=633 individuals was recruited to complete the “Cognitive Enhancement and Student Lifestyle Survey” online. The key questions of interest concerned students’ enhancement drug usage habits, usage motivations, and coping styles. Analyses found that 6.32% of students indicated lifetime use of prescription CE agents for the purposes of study-related enhancement. Furthermore, dysfunctional coping strategies were associated with an increased likelihood of both lifestyle and prescription CE drug use. Findings from this study refine current understandings of enhancement drug use in Australia and are contextualized in regard to potential avenues for on-campus health interventions and regulatory opportunities. In particular, helping students to maintain manageable stress levels through identifying less harmful coping strategies may prove useful.

Predicting the Happiness of Adolescents Based on Coping Styles and Religious Attitudes.

The study aimed to predict the happiness of adolescents based on coping styles and religious attitudes. To this end, the correlational research methodology was used. In total, 381 subjects were selected from adolescents of Semnan (Eastern province of Iran), using multistage clustering sampling method. Research tools were Ways of Coping Questionnaire by Lazarus, Golriz and Barahani's Religious Attitude Questionnaire, and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed in SPSS using Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. Results of Pearson's correlation demonstrated a significant positive relationship between happiness of adolescents and variables of problem-focused coping styles (r=0.31, P<0.01) and religious attitudes (r=0.129, P<0.05). Meanwhile, a negative significant association was observed between emotion-focused coping styles and happiness (r=-0.184, P<0.01). Moreover, results of multiple regression analysis indicated that the listed variables explained 17% of the variance of happiness in totality. According to the results, it is recommended that use of problem-focused styles be emphasized in addition to strengthening of religious attitudes to increase the happiness of adolescents.

Evaluation of 5-HTTLPR Gene Polymorphism and Resilience Components on the Development of Psychopathology in Adolescent Sexual Abuse Cases.

More than one-fourth adolescents are exposed to unexpected frightening experiences and traumas until adulthood. In this study, we aimed to determine the potential role of serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene polymorphism regarding resilience factors in the symptom variability of individuals exposed to sexual abuse. Adolescents aged 11-17 years, who were admitted to the Marmara University Child Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic Forensic division with sexual abuse experience history, were informed about the research, and volunteers were included in the study. Turkish versions of "Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL)" was used to assess the psychopathology and functionality. The evaluation of participants also included self-reports based on "Eysenck Personality Inventory" and "Ways of Coping Inventory" for reflecting the resilience domain. The sample included 16 girls (88.9%) and 2 boys (11.1%), and the mean (±standard deviation) age was 14.58±1.97 years. Genotyping of the insertion/deletion polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in the 5-HTT gene's transcriptional control zone was established, and 8 participants (44.4%) were determined to be of the LL genotype, while 7 (38.8%) were LS and 3 (16.6%) were SS carriers. Considering the relationship between coping styles regarding resilience and genetic variants, 87.5% of participants (n=7) exhibiting problem-focused coping style were determined found to carry the LL allele, while 90% (n=9) who exhibited emotion-focused coping styles were the SS-LS allele carriers (p=0.003). Our findings suggest that 5-HTTLPR gene polymorphism has a significant impact on the formation of coping styles. More studies are needed to determine other factors involved in the complex relationship between 5-HTTLPR gene polymorphism and development of psychopathology.

The Big Five personality and temperamental traits and its correlation with styles of coping with stress in the fire brigade officers

Abstract&#x0D; Selecting specific professional activities (e.g. a brigade officer) and methods for coping with difficult situations may result from personal predispositions of a given person. Personality is founded on the innate temperament. The way of dealing with stress depends on personality traits whose influence is manifested, amongst other things, in the selection of specific coping styles.&#x0D; The current study aim to examine the level of correlation between personality and temperamental traits with manifested coping styles.&#x0D; The study covered 58 volunteers – male fire brigade officers. The following tools were used: Personality Inventory, NEO-FFI, Formal Characteristics of Behaviour: Temperament Inventory – Revised Version, FCZ-KT (R) and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, CISS.&#x0D; Emotion-focused coping style for stressful situations correlates with the following traits: positively, with perseveration (r=0.5115) and with emotional reactivity (r=0.4927), and negatively, with briskness (r=-0.3926) and endurance (r=-0.5408). The task-oriented coping style for stressful situations correlates positively with extraversion (r=0.3236) and conscientiousness (r=0.3088), and negatively with neuroticism (r=-0.3368) in the NEO-FFI. The emotion-focused coping style for stressful situations is positively correlated with neuroticism (NEO-FFI) (r=0.4150).&#x0D; In fire brigade officers, As far as personality traits were concerned, fire brigade officers scored relatively high in extraversion, conscientiousness and low in neuroticism and were likely to demonstrate the task-oriented coping style for stressful situations. Lower level of perseveration and high level of briskness and endurance were associated with emotion-focused coping style for stressful situations. Similarly, the tendency to focus on emotions experienced in stressful situations were associated with high level of neuroticism in the study group.

Effect of a transactional model education program on coping effectiveness in women with multiple sclerosis.

ObjectivesMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and progressive disease that causes stress due to its unpredictability and lack of definitive treatments. This study examined the effects of an educational program using a transactional model to help women with MS cope with their disease.Materials and MethodsIn a randomized clinical trial, 80 female patients from the MS Society of Iran were randomized to the intervention (n = 40) or a control group (n = 40). Outcomes were assessed using Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS), which were completed by both groups at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months after the intervention. The intervention consisted of six educational sessions administered over 2 months based on a transactional model. The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.ResultsAverage PSS scores decreased significantly over time in the intervention group, while increasing in the control group. Between‐group differences were significant at both 1‐month and 3‐month follow‐up (p < .001). Both problem‐focused and emotion‐focused coping styles improved over time in use and effectiveness in the intervention group, whereas little or no change occurred in these coping behaviors in the control group.ConclusionThe transactional model‐based education program tested here was successful in reducing stress levels and increasing healthy coping styles in women with MS. If these findings are replicated in future studies, widespread adoption of this program may help women with MS cope more successfully with their disease.

Predictors of disclosure management behavior at the end of 1-year follow-up in Korean adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a concealable stigmatizing condition. We investigated the factors predicting disclosure management behavior in Korean adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy. This longitudinal multicenter study included Korean adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy. Using statistical analyses, we determined at the end of a 1-year follow-up whether Disclosure Management Scale (DMS) scores were predicted by demographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables, including felt stigma, stress coping style, personality traits, social support, and experienced discrimination from society. Of a total of 121 participants, 69% reported that they often or sometimes kept their diagnosis a secret from others and rarely or never talked to others about their epilepsy. The average DMS score was 5.8 (SD=2.9, range 0-11). In univariate analyses, DMS scores were significantly associated with an emotion-focused coping style (r=0.320, p<0.001), social support (r=-0.185, p<0.05), and experienced discrimination (p<0.05). Emotion-focused coping was the only independent predictor of a higher DMS score. Felt stigma, personality traits, and seizure freedom were not related to the DMS score. Two-thirds of Korean adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy often or sometimes keep their epilepsy a secret. Emotion-focused coping is the most important predictor of concealment of epilepsy diagnosis at the end of a 1-year follow-up, although social support and episodes of experienced discrimination are also associated with disclosure management strategies.

The relationship between depression, anxiety, personality traits and coping strategies of patients with euthyroid Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

Background and objectivesWe aimed to investigate the depression and anxiety levels and to explore the coping strategies and personality traits of patients with euthyroid Hashimoto Thyroiditis (HT). MethodsThe study population consisted of 108 outpatients with euthyroid HT. The participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Big Five Personality Inventory (BFI), and the Coping With Problems Experienced Inventory (COPE). ResultsDepression scores were negatively correlated with emotion-focused and problem-focused coping style scores. Emotion-focused and problem-focused coping style scores were negatively correlated with neuroticism, and positively correlated with openness scores. Emotion-focused coping style scores were also positively correlated with agreeableness scores. Dysfunctional coping style scores were negatively correlated with conscientiousness scores. Higher agreeableness and anxiety scores as well as lower neuroticism scores were predictive of emotion-focused coping style scores. Problem-focused coping style scores were predicted by lower depression scores. Dysfunctional coping style scores were predicted by lower conscientiousness scores. ConclusionsThe present study points the importance of taking personality features and individual coping strategies into account when evaluating patients with HT. Determining the personality features and coping strategies might be useful for identifying patients in need of particular counseling and support.

Coping With Daily Hindrance and Challenge Stressors in the Workplace

Abstract. This study examined daily hindrance and challenge stressors at work (rated after work) for effects on employees’ state negative affect at the beginning of the next workday. Building on the transactional stress model, the authors also examine whether general coping styles impact the relationships. Multilevel analyses show that previous-day hindrance stressors are positively related to next-day state negative affect, whereas previous-day challenge stressors are not significantly related to next-day state negative affect. The study identifies differential effects of problem-focused versus emotion-focused coping styles: High use of emotion-focused coping style increases state negative affect for both challenge and hindrance stressors; a lack of problem-focused coping style strengthens challenge stressors’ positive effect on state negative affect. The results suggest that occupational health can be promoted through specific stress management training and through workplace designs that reduce hindrance stressors.

Association between coping mechanisms and adherence to diabetes-related self-care activities: a cross-sectional study.

In the overall management of the most chronic diseases, including diabetes mellitus (DM), adherence to recommended disease-related self-care activities is of paramount importance. The diagnosis and presence of a chronic disease may be considered a difficult and stressful situation in life, a situation in which coping mechanisms are psychological processes developed at a conscious level to manage these situations. This study aimed to explore the possible relationship between the dominance of one of the four major coping styles and adherence to diabetes-related self-care activities (DRSCAs) in the population of patients with type 2 DM (T2DM). In a cross-sectional consecutive-case population-based study design, 126 patients previously diagnosed with T2DM were enrolled. Coping mechanisms were evaluated using the Cope scale inventory, which identifies the dominant coping mechanism: problem-, emotion-, social support-, or avoidance-focused. The quality of DRSCA was evaluated using the summary of diabetes self-care activities questionnaire, in which a higher score was associated with improved adherence. In the study cohort, 45 patients (35.7%) had problem-focused coping, 37 (29.4%) had emotion-focused coping, 32 (25.4%) social support-focused coping, and 12 (9.5%) had avoidance-focused coping. Patients with emotion-focused coping had the highest level (P=0.02) of DRSCA (median 44 points), followed by patients with social support-focused coping (median 40 points) and problem-focused coping (median 36 points), while patients with avoidance-focused coping had the lowest SDSCA total score (33 points). The type of dominant coping mechanism has a significant impact on the quality of the DRSCA measures implemented by the patient to manage their diabetes. Patients with emotion-focused and social support-focused coping styles tend to have significantly increased adherence to DRSCA scores, while patients with other dominant coping styles are less interested in managing their disease.

Avoidant coping moderates the relationship between stress and depressive emotional eating in adolescents.

Studies with adults support an association between emotional eating and avoidant and emotion-focused coping styles. While an avoidant coping style has been identified as a risk-factor for eating disorders in adolescents, no studies to date have specifically examined the relationship between coping styles and emotional eating in this population. The purpose of the present study was to assess whether coping styles moderate the relationship between perceived stress and emotional eating in adolescents. Two hundred and seventy-seven middle school students (mean age=13.26years; SD=0.49) completed the Emotional Eating Scale for Children and Adolescents, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Children's Coping Strategies Checklist, and a brief demographic survey. Four separate multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to determine the interactive effects of perceived stress and coping styles on emotional eating. The interaction between perceived stress and an avoidant coping style accounted for a significant amount of variance in the Emotional Eating Depression subscale score (EES-C-DEP); at higher levels of perceived stress, an avoidant coping style increased an adolescent's propensity for depressive emotional eating. The present findings provide preliminary support for targeting an avoidant coping style in preventative interventions, particularly for youth that have the propensity to overeat in response to feelings of depression.

Differences Between Childhood Traumatic Experiences and Coping Styles for Male and Female Patients with Major Depression

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of childhood traumas, determine their effects on coping skills, and assess gender specific differences in patients with major depression. Fifty female and fifty male patients with unipolar depression were enrolled. All patients were administered sociodemographic a data form, the Beck Depression Inventory, and subjected to a COPE Scale. Experiences of childhood abuse and neglect were assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28). First, female patients with childhood traumas were found to use emotion focused coping styles whereas, male patients used problem focused and less useful coping styles more frequently. Second, there were positive relationships between childhood trauma scores and depression severity, childhood sexual abuse, and emotion focused coping styles in both male and female groups according to correlation analyses. In addition, childhood traumas led to further modifications on coping styles in the male group. Finally, a multiple linear regression model was used to identify independent predictors of coping styles. For both men and women, it was shown that childhood sexual abuse was significantly and positively related to emotion focused coping styles. Depression severity was the other predictor for emotion focused coping styles and was less useful in only the male group. Increased information on childhood trauma history and gender specific coping strategies could help to identify individual's at risk for depression and/or predict response to treatment. Future studies should focus on the prospective investigation of potential predictors and mediators in this area.

Role of Social Support and Coping Styles in Mental Health of Women Who Apply for Divorce

This study aimed to survey the role of social support and coping styles in mental health of women who apply for Divorce. The research method is correlation. The number of 110 women applying for divorce of Rasht city in 2013, were selected through Available sampling method and responded to social support, mental health and coping styles questionnaires. The gathered data were analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise regression analysis. The results showed that there exist a positive and significant relation between social support and mental health (P>0/01). Also the results indicated that the relation between problem focused coping style with mental health is positive and significant (P>0/01). The relation between emotion focused coping style and mental health is negative and significant (P>0/01). The stepwise regression analysis showed that the predictive variables could significantly predict 29 percent of variance of mental health. The results of current research in consistent with other studies indicate that social support and coping styles have an important role in mental health of women who apply for divorce.

Coping Strategies among Parents of Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Background: Having a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia represents challenges to the family which may impact their quality of life. In such circumstances, parents use various coping strategies to face this stressful situation, and understanding the relation of coping strategies on quality of life among parents of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia may provide professionals with ideas about how to support them which in turn may improve their quality of life. Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the correlation between coping strategies and the health related quality of life of parents whose children are suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Study design: A cross-sectional design using guided self-administered questionnaire by a single researcher was used. Methods: A universal sample consisted of 299 parents of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was recruited from Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur Institute Pediatrics. The response rate was 98%. The data collection tools were WHOQOL BREF which is the World Health Organization Quality of Life shorter version and Brief COPE questionnaires. Results: The results revealed that half of the parents perceived their health related quality of life as good. The highest scores for parents were reported on the social relationship domain meanwhile the lowest were reported on the environmental health domain. In regard to the coping strategies, it was found that religion was most frequently used while humor was the least to be used. Moreover, there was a significant positive relationship between quality of life of the parents and problem-focused coping style and a significant negative relationship with emotion-focused coping style. Conclusion: On the basis of the finding of present study, an appropriate intervention could be design to include program that promote the use of problem-focused copings such as active coping and planning and discourage the use of emotion-focused copings such as self-blaming to enhance parents’ health related quality of life.

Health benefits for ageing: positive affect and life satisfaction, exercise and coping, and telomere length.

Normal ageing is not as harmonious and regulated as the television advertisements would have us believe: anxiolytic and pain-treating compounds are prescribed widely in a population particularly sensitive to stress with a penchance for stress-inducing cognitions and encumbered by deficits in problem-focused and emotion-focused coping styles, elevated depressive mood, and a lack of divergent thinking in these older and elder older adults. Taken together with the situation that normal human cells experience telomere shortening with each successive cell division and that aging is accompanied by a decline of executive function, a less than optimistic form of reality arises to encompass elderly population; nevertheless, it is found regularly that resistance/aerobic exercise training induces moderate improvements of cognitive domains (i.e., attention, processing, executive function, memory) in senior citizens. The purpose of the present account was to review and describe the probable and possible situation confronting ageing populations in the context of affective status and satisfaction with life, the necessity of exercise and coping applications and the preservation of telomeric length.

Exploration of Health Status, Illness Perceptions, Coping Strategies, Psychological Morbidity, and Quality of Life in Individuals With Fecal Ostomies.

In a previous paper focusing on the common sense model (CSM) for ostomies in people with inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and diverticular disease, we reported that (1) illness perceptions were directly related to illness status, and both illness perceptions and coping strategies (maladaptive coping) directly influenced anxiety and depression; (2) self-efficacy and emotion-focused coping style ameliorated depression but not anxiety; and (3) time since surgery was associated with improved health status, a reduction in negative illness perceptions, and increased emotional-focused coping. The purpose of this article was to perform a secondary analysis with the addition of a stoma quality-of-life measure. One hundred fifty adults with ostomies (54 males, and 96 females; mean age = 44 years) completed an online survey. Descriptive, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. Participants completed the Health Perceptions Questionnaire, Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire, Carver Brief Coping Questionnaire, Stoma Self-efficacy Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Stoma Quality-of-Life Scale. Using structural equation modeling, the final model provided an excellent fit to the data (χ27 = 19.20, P = .37, χ/N = 1.08, Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) <0.03, Steiger-Lind Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) <0.03, Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) >0.98). Extending upon our previous paper, self-efficacy, anxiety, and depression were found to have a significant direct influence on stoma-specific quality of life (β= .47, P < .001, β=-.25, P < .001, and β=-.35, P < .001, respectively). The findings of this secondary analysis extends our previous report by identifying that, consistent with the CSM, illness status, illness perceptions, and coping influence health-related quality of life via self-efficacy, anxiety, and depression. The results suggest that to improve an individual's quality of life, psychological interventions should target the psychological processes underpinning mental illness and also help develop and maintain an individual's self-efficacy in relation to ostomy care.

Why is employees’ emotional intelligence important?

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of hospitality employees’ emotional intelligence (EI) on their stress-coping styles and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of 366 food and beverage employees in the Korean hospitality industry. The validity and reliability of the respondents’ replies regarding EI, stress-coping styles and job satisfaction were tested through exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Once the measure was validated, a structural equation model was used to test the validity of the proposed model and hypotheses. Findings The results showed that the elements of EI (i.e. self-emotion appraisal [SEA], use of emotion [UOE], regulation of emotion [ROE] and others’ emotion appraisal [OEA]) had a significant, positive effect on the cognitive-appraisal coping style, whereas only SEA and UOE had a significant, positive effect on the problem-solving coping style. Meanwhile, SEA had a significant, negative effect on the emotion-focused coping style. In addition, employees’ problem-solving and cognitive-appraisal stress-coping styles showed a significant, positive effect on their job satisfaction. Employees’ UOE and ROE demonstrated a significant, positive effect on job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications The generalizability and, therefore, implications are limited to the Korean hotels and family restaurants. Future research needs to closely examine models and variables which may become the causes of individual traits, relationship traits and leadership. Originality/value Strategies to cope with stress and job satisfaction used by family restaurant employees showed more sensitive effects of control than hotel employees did in the organic causal relationships between EI and strategies to cope with stress/job satisfaction. The results of this study, which indicate that hospitality companies can increase employees’ job satisfaction by enhancing their employees’ EI, suggest detailed and practical alternatives to human resource management, as employees with higher degrees of EI can bring positive outcomes to both organizations and employees. Hospitality employees’ EI is significant in terms of organizational performance.

Occupational stress, coping and mental health in Jamaican police officers.

BackgroundPolice are exposed to a wide range of stressors and this is especially true in developing countries such as Jamaica. Exposure to psychosocial stressors and use of maladaptive coping styles can result in mental ill-health.AimsTo examine the relationship between work characteristics, coping and mental health in Jamaican police officers and to test whether work characteristics are indirectly associated with mental health outcomes through perceived job stress and job satisfaction.MethodsPolice officers from the Jamaican police force completed a questionnaire using a cross-sectional design. We analysed the data using hierarchical regression.ResultsThe study group consisted of 134 police officers; the response rate was 94%. Negative work characteristics, lower levels of positive work factors and work support and emotion-focused coping styles were associated with increased levels of depression (F(8, 125) = 7.465, P < 0.001). Subjective feelings of anxiety were positively associated with negative work characteristics and emotion-focused coping (F(8, 125) = 7.586, P < 0.001). The relationship between work characteristics and mental health outcomes was mediated by perceived stress. Job satisfaction mediated the relationship between positive work characteristics and depression.ConclusionsStress management and intervention programmes should address modifiable work conditions, monitor stress levels and reduce maladaptive coping.

Relationships Between Illness Perceptions, Coping and Psychological Morbidity in Kidney Transplants Patients

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to explore the effect of kidney transplantation (KT) on psychological distress and quality of life (QoL) in patients with end-stage kidney disease using the Common Sense Model of illness adjustment. Materials and MethodsA total of 52 individuals (35 men and 17 women) with an average age of 53.54 years from a large metropolitan nephrology outpatient clinic participated. ResultsPoorer health status, illness perceptions and increased engagement in maladaptive coping were associated with psychological distress (specifically anxiety and depression) and poorer QoL. Hierarchical regression, after correcting for KT characteristics (years since most recent KT, number of transplants) indicated that poorer illness status and illness perception predicted QoL. After controlling for KT characteristics, poorer illness status and greater engagement in maladaptive coping predicted depression. In contrast, poorer illness perceptions and greater engagement in maladaptive coping predicted anxiety. Adaptive problem-focused and emotion-focused coping styles were not found to predict anxiety, depression or QoL. ConclusionsThe finding of the present study emphasize on the importance of exploring and understanding the effect of illness status, illness perceptions and coping patterns in patients who have underwent KT.

The Severity of Behavior Problems of Children with ASD and Their Mothers’ Stress Coping Styles and the Impact upon Maternal Parenting Stress

The purposes of this study were twofold. Firstly, we sought to examine the effects of the severity of behavior problems of children with autism spectrum disorders and maternal stress coping styles on maternal parenting stress. Secondly, we investigated whether maternal stress coping styles moderate the relationship between the severity of children's behavior problems on parenting stress. The participants of this study comprised 106 mothers of children with ASD who were aged 6 to 18. In order to measure the research variables, the Parenting Stress Scale(Hwang, 2002), the Korean version of Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6-18(Oh, Kim, Ha, Lee, & Hong, 2010), the Ways of Coping Checklist(Kim, 1987) were used. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and hierarchical multiple regression analyses. The results indicated that both the severity of externalizing behavior problems and the emotion-focused stress coping styles had significant and positive effects on parenting stress. Second, the stress coping styles had no moderating effect on the relationship between the severity of behavior problems(externalizing behavior problems, internalizing behavior problems) and maternal parenting stress.

Health behaviors and coping among informal caregivers of lung and colorectal cancer survivors: Distribution and interrelationships.

229 Background: Family/informal caregivers play a critical role in the palliative care and support of cancer survivors, yet are at risk of poorer health outcomes than non-caregivers. Self-care, including positive health behaviors and coping, are important for long-term caregiver well-being, and potentially that of care recipients. This study sought to evaluate the distribution of and interrelationships among health behaviors and coping strategies among cancer caregivers. Methods: This study used data from the Cancer Care Outcomes Research &amp; Surveillance Consortium (CanCORS). Caregivers reported by survey their health behaviors, coping, and sociodemographic and caregiving characteristics. Descriptive statistics assessed the distribution of caregivers’ health and coping behaviors, and multivariable linear regressions assessed the associations between health behaviors and coping styles. Results: Many caregivers reported positive health behaviors (i.e., moderate physical activity, adequate sleep, low rates of binge drinking). Caregivers most frequently reported using emotion-focused coping styles (religion, acceptance, positive reframing, emotional support). Caregivers reporting higher levels of physical activity or feeling less well-rested used problem-focused coping styles more frequently (Effect sizes [ES] up to 0.21, p &lt; 0.05) . Those with some physical activity (1-149 minutes/week vs none) scored higher on emotion-focused coping, while drinkers (1+ drink in the past 30 days vs 0) and binge drinkers (5+ drinks in a row vs 0) scored lower on this subscale (ES = 0.16, 0.12, and 0.25; p &lt; 0.05). Caregivers reporting current smoking (ES = 0.21), binge drinking (ES = 0.49), and feeling less well-rested (ES up to 0.48) scored higher on dysfunctional coping (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: Caregivers’ health behaviors and coping strategies were interrelated. Interventions targeting both factors concurrently may be particularly efficacious at improving family caregiver self-care, potentially improving caregiving quality and patient-centered palliative care. Future research is needed to design and test such interventions and the potential impact on palliative care.