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This study examined whether depressive symptoms mediated the association between coping strategies and quality of life (QoL) in a sample of hypertensive patients, and the prospective contribution of depressive symptoms and coping strategies in the prediction of their QoL. One hundred and fifty patients (50% males and 50% females) with a diagnosis of essential hypertension were recruited from a general hospital. Symptoms of depression, coping and QoL measures (global score and dimensions) were collected at baseline. Sixty-three participants completed the QoL questionnaire again one year later (T2). The results indicated that the relations between emotion coping and QoL (global score, satisfaction and social support) were totally mediated by depressive symptoms. The association between emotion coping and well-being was, however, partially mediated by depressive symptoms. Furthermore, only baseline instrumental coping strategies predicted higher levels of QoL (global score, well-being and social support) at T2. Neither emotion coping nor depressive symptoms were significantly associated with prospective QoL. These findings suggest that depressive symptoms may be a mechanism linking the manner in which patients cope with their hypertension and their QoL. They also emphasise the adaptive role played by instrumental coping responses in the management of hypertension in the long term.

This study examined the influence of perceived health competence (PHC) and coping strategies in hypertension. Depressive mood state and dimensions of quality of life (QOL) (social support, satisfaction, well-being and free time) were also considered. One hundred and fifty participants were surveyed cross-sectionally and prospectively. Regression analysis revealed that the main predictors of the dimensions of QOL were PHC and depressive mood state. Emotional coping negatively predicted well-being. Unexpectedly, task-focused coping was unrelated to QOL domains. Longitudinal analyses did not support these relations. The data suggest that, in hypertension, PHC constitutes an important resource, whereas depressive mood state deteriorates QOL.

Benefit finding (BF) is defined as the individual's perception of positive change as a result of coping with an adverse life event. The beneficial effects of BF on well-being could be because BF favors the improvement of resources like self-efficacy, social support and effective coping. The main objective of this longitudinal 8 week study was to explore, in a sample of cardiac patients (n = 51), the combined contribution of BF and these resources to the positive affect. Moreover, we wanted to check whether these resources were derived from BF or, on the contrary, these resources were antecedents of BF. Results showed that after controlling for functional capacity, only effective coping could predict the positive affect at Time 1 (β = .32, p < .05), while the BF predicted it at Time 2 (β = .23, p< .001). Only social support predicted BF (β = .26, p < .05), but not the opposite. We discussed the desirability of promoting these processes to improve the emotional state of cardiac patients.