A count of coping strategies: A longitudinal study investigating an alternative method to understanding coping and adjustment

Coping strategies adopted by Iranian families of children with Down syndrome: A qualitative study

Down syndrome (DS) is the leading cause of intellectual disability. Previous quantitative studies have examined the effects of DS on families of children with DS. This study explored the coping strategies adopted by the families of children with DS. This was a qualitative content analysis study, in which the participants were selected using purposive sampling from the families of children with DS. Semi-structured interviews were performed and collected data were analyzed. A total of 20 family members (10 mothers, 6 fathers, 2 brothers, and 2 sisters) were interviewed. Six categories were extracted in this study, namely "searching for information," "paying attention to children's healthcare needs," "concentration on spirituality," "teaching socially appropriate behavioral skills," "efforts to increase self-reliance in children," and "development of family support circle." The participating families were able to use positive adaptive mechanisms and cope well with the problems associated with having a child with DS. However, they still needed more support from healthcare providers and support organizations. Receiving more support from healthcare providers, such as nurses, can help them in better management of their children.

Effect of Viewing Disney Movies During Chemotherapy on Self-Reported Quality of Life Among Patients With Gynecologic Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

In addition to treatment efficacy, evaluation of adverse effects and quality of life assessments have become increasingly relevant in oncology.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association of watching Disney movies during chemotherapy with emotional and social functioning and fatigue status.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This randomized clinical trial was performed from December 2017 to December 2018 at a cancer referral center in Vienna, Austria. A consecutive sample of women with gynecologic cancers was recruited through July 2018. Inclusion criteria included age older than 18 years, written informed consent, and planned 6 cycles of chemotherapy with either carboplatin and paclitaxel or carboplatin and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin. Exclusion criteria were inadequate knowledge of the German language or receipt of other chemotherapy regimens. Data analysis was performed from February 2019 to April 2019.

INTERVENTION

Participants were either shown Disney movies or not during 6 cycles of chemotherapy. Before and after every cycle, they completed standardized questionnaires from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Primary outcomes were change of quality of life, as defined by the EORTC Core-30 (version 3) questionnaire, and fatigue, as defined by the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Fatigue, during 6 cycles of chemotherapy.

RESULTS

Fifty-six women entered the study, and 50 completed it, including 25 women in the Disney group (mean [SD] age, 59 [12] years) and 25 women in the control group (mean [SD] age, 62 [8] years). In the course of 6 cycles of chemotherapy, patients in the Disney group felt less tense and worried less than patients in the control group according to their responses to the questions about emotional functioning (mean [SD] score, 86.9 [14.3] vs 66.3 [27.2]; maximum test P = .02). Furthermore, watching Disney movies was associated with less encroachment on patients' family life and social activities, as evaluated by the social functioning questions (mean [SD] score, 86.1 [23.0] vs 63.6 [33.6]; maximum test P = .01). Moreover, this intervention led to fewer fatigue symptoms (mean [SD] score, 85.5 [13.6] vs 66.4 [22.5]; maximum test P = .01). Perceived global health status was not associated with watching Disney movies (mean [SD] score, 75.9 [17.6] vs 61.0 [25.1]; maximum test P = .16).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

These findings suggest that watching Disney movies during chemotherapy may be associated with improvements in emotional functioning, social functioning, and fatigue status in patients with gynecologic cancers.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03863912.

Coping strategies among patients with malignant lymphoma- a qualitative study from the perspectives of Swedish patients

PURPOSE

There is a dearth of research on coping strategies of patients with malignant lymphoma. The aim of this article is to explore how these patients cope with cancer in everyday life.

METHOD

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine patients in Sweden. A thematic analysis was made, inspired by Antonovsky's theory of sense of coherence. The SRQR checklist was used.

RESULTS

Patient's coping strategies are shown within three themes: 'Life experiences supported coping strategies during treatment', 'Between completed treatment and (possible) cure', and 'Illness brought closeness and distance in social relationships'. Three different coping strategies were identified during treatment: trying to control the situation, seeing opportunities in difficulties, and doing other activities to limit thoughts about disease and treatment. Four different coping strategies were identified after treatment ended, namely projecting responsibility and anger onto the healthcare system, maintaining the outer facade as a strong person who had control over the situation, talking about disease, side effects and emotions and putting the focus on the future, and managing life by anticipating death. Family =and friends were a part of patients' coping strategies, but to different extents and in different ways. Diagnosis and treatment for malignant lymphoma brought closeness and distance in social relationships.

CONCLUSION

Patients with malignant lymphoma cope with cancer in different ways in everyday life influenced by their life experiences and life conditions. Further research should focus on cancer patients' coping strategies in a relational perspective, as coping and coping opportunities are embedded in social context and social relationships.

Coping as a mediator between locus of control, competence beliefs, and mental health: A systematic review and structural equation modelling meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review and two-staged structural equation modelling meta-analysis (TSSEM) aimed to examine whether coping mediates the associations between locus of control, competence beliefs, and mental health in the general population and clinical samples.

METHODS

Eligible studies published until May 2017 were identified through systematic searches of PubMED and EMBASE. The review included 19 studies and the meta-analysis 15 studies.

RESULTS

The review supports the assumption that coping mediates the associations between locus of control and competence beliefs, and mental health. TSSEM using a pooled sample of 3986 respondents and 225 cross-sectional effect sizes indicated that maladaptive coping mediates the association between maladaptive locus of control and mental health problems. On the contrary, adaptive coping did not mediate this association and was only significantly associated with competence beliefs and adaptive locus of control but, unexpectedly, not with mental health. Both maladaptive and adaptive locus of control but not competence beliefs had direct links to mental health problems that were independent of coping.

CONCLUSION

Interventions should not only focus on enhancing adaptive coping as it might be more promising to diminish maladaptive locus of control, which may result in reduced maladaptive coping and, finally, improved mental health.

Quality of Life and Patient Satisfaction in Adults Treated for a Cleft Lip and Palate: A Qualitative Analysis

Objective:

Long-term outcomes of patients born with a cleft lip and palate (CLP) are scarcely investigated. Yet, this patient group is of particular interest, as they can provide a valuable retrospective view upon their treatment experiences and psychological adjustment. Qualitative accounts may be especially useful in understanding the patient journey.

Design:

The present study set out to evaluate quality of life and satisfaction with treatment in adult patients previously treated for CLP at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital. Semistructured interviews were performed.

Patients:

A total of 22 patients aged 17 to 35 years (mean: 25 years) were interviewed about their experiences of growing up with CLP and of the treatment they received. Interviews were audio-recorded and factors thought to influence psychological adjustment were identified.

Results:

Four main themes were identified: background factors, support systems, treatment factors, and coping/internal factors. Each theme was described with illustrative quotes.

Conclusion:

This study underlines that psychological adjustment can fluctuate over time and greatly differs between individuals, even during adulthood. Psychological support should therefore be available beyond the finalization of the treatment course. Furthermore, the majority of participants stated they had wanted more psychological support as a child to facilitate resilience and to help them cope with challenges.

The personal experience of severe suicidal behaviour leads to negative attitudes towards self- and other's suicidal thoughts and behaviours: A study of temperaments, coping strategies, and attitudes towards suicide among medical students

The attitudes individuals have towards suicidal behaviour, be it their own or others', and their capacity for developing specific coping strategies are influenced by affective temperaments that play a significant role in emotional regulation. However, few studies have investigated these specific patterns with a view to stratify them according to the severity of suicidal behaviours in medical students. The Pearson χ2 test for the comparison of categorical variables, the t-test for independent samples of continuous variables and logistic regression analysis were used to compare the association among temperaments, coping strategies, and attitudes towards suicide in a sample of medical students who attend the School of Medicine, Genoa. Severe suicidal thoughts and behaviours relative to those who were not at risk for suicide were also revealed. The severe suicidal thought and behaviour group had significantly more anxious and cyclothymic temperaments together with a higher use of dis-adaptive, lower emotional focus coping strategies, and higher self-reproaching, criticizing, and judgemental attitudes towards suicidality compared to the no severe suicidal thought and behaviour group. The identified pattern suggests the need for clinicians to carefully consider the complex interplay of clinical features which characterize severely at risk for suicide young adults in order to develop effective and comprehensive prevention strategies.

The Effect of Interpersonal Counseling for Subthreshold Depression in Undergraduates: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Subthreshold depression and poor stress coping strategies are major public health problems among undergraduates. Interpersonal counseling (IPC) is a brief structured psychological intervention originally designed for use in primary care to treat depressive patients whose symptoms arose from current life stress.

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the efficacy of IPC in treating subthreshold depression and coping strategies among undergraduates in school counseling.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We carried out an exploratory randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy of IPC with counseling as usual (CAU). Participants were 31 undergraduates exhibiting depression without a psychiatric diagnosis.

RESULTS

The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale total score decreased significantly in the IPC group (n = 15; Z = -2.675, p = .007), but not in the CAU group (n = 16). The task-oriented coping score of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations showed a tendency towards a greater increase in the IPC group than in the CAU group (t = 1.919, df = 29, p = .065).

CONCLUSIONS

The IPC might be more useful for student counseling because it can teach realistic coping methods and reduce depressive symptoms in a short period. Further studies using more participants are required.