Repression and Coping Styles in Asthmatic Patients

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to (a) determine prevalence of the dispositional repressive coping style as well as other situational coping styles in a sample of asthmatic patients and (b) to analyze the capacity of these styles to predict subsequent morbidity (emergency room visits or hospitalizations due to asthma) during a 12-month follow-up. A sample of 75 adult asthmatic patients was selected and information about sociodemographics, asthma severity, and patient's perception of illness severity was collected. Repressive coping style was defined by a combination of scores obtained on the Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Coping styles were assessed with the dispositional version of the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory. Eighteen patients (24%) were classified as repressors. Repressor asthmatics obtained scores significantly lower on Emotion-Focused Coping compared to non-repressors (F ((1,72)) = 5.15, p = .026). Patients who perceived their asthma as severe reported to use Emotion-Focused Coping more than those who judged it as mild or moderate (F ((2,71)) = 4.83, p = .011). A higher use of Denial (an Emotion-Focused strategy of coping) explained 8% of variance of the frequency of emergency room visits during the 12-month follow-up. The prevalence of repressive coping style in the asthmatic population is similar to that registered in other populations of chronic patients, and it is also associated with the tendency to report a lower use of strategies traditionally considered as maladaptive. The use of Emotion-Focused Coping strategies seems to be related to a worse perception of the physical status, and among this group of strategies, Denial also could favor a poor clinical course in bronchial asthma.

Coping strategies, alexithymia and anxiety in young patients with food allergy

“…Accurate perception of symptoms is a crucial factor for correct self‐management in food allergy. In asthma, the use of emotion‐focused coping strategies seems to be related to a worse perception of physical status, and in particular, denial could promote a poor clinical course in asthma . Denial has also been found to be prevalent among a subgroup of food‐allergic children and teens, sometimes referred to as ‘minimization’ , giving rise to risk‐taking behaviours, such as not carrying an auto‐injector, not informing food venues, and not telling friends about food allergy.…”

“…Alexithymic patients tend not to adopt nuances in describing and discriminating feelings. They are more likely to express themselves in terms of bodily symptoms, providing excessive details of their health condition, behaviours and daily events , which can be interpreted as valid attempts to describe personal experience via symptoms or practical details. Understanding that a patient ‘cannot’, rather than ‘will not’, identify, distinguish and verbally express emotions, can improve patient–clinician communication and allow the clinician to select interventions that are appropriate and targeted specifically to that patient .…”

Relationships Among Stress Coping Styles and Pregnancy Complications Among Women Exposed to Hurricane Katrina

“…Given the limited research in these areas, it is hard to compare findings to previous literature. A few works have commented on the negative aspect of denial coping style, but most of these studies looked at its adverse consequence on mental health or its impact on recovery from health challenges (Gonzalez-Freire, Vazquez-Rodriguez, Marcos-Velazquez, & de la Cuesta, 2010;Goossens, Knoppert-van der Klein, & van Achterberg, 2008;Parikh et al, 2007). In a study among people recently diagnosed with diabetes, denial of the disease during the first 5 years was associated with poor glycemic control (Garay-Sevilla, Malacara, Gutiérrez-Roa, & González, 1999).…”

Resilience Factors Important in Health-Related Quality of Life of Subjects With COPD

“…These studies found that the use of defensive coping was significantly related to poorer HRQOL 40 and significantly higher rates of emergency department visits over a period of 12 months. 41 In contrast to this, another study found that defensive coping was associated with marginally better physical HRQOL. 42 Thus, defensive coping may act as a buffer against the harsh reality of the illness and its consequences, and provide short-term relief from the distress caused by having a chronic illness, for example, COPD.…”