Coping profiles in multiple sclerosis: Comparison of personal resources

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Health Sciences

Background:

• Understanding coping mechanisms in multiple sclerosis (MS) is crucial for psychological adjustment.
• Identifying distinct coping profiles can illuminate the relationship between coping strategies and patient well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct groups of multiple sclerosis patients based on their coping strategies.
• To compare psychological resources across these identified coping groups.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 382 multiple sclerosis patients.
• Utilized self-report measures for coping strategies, optimism, self-efficacy, health locus of control (HLC), and disease perception.
• Cluster analysis was employed to identify distinct coping profiles.

Main Results:

• Five distinct coping profiles were identified: Emotional, Temperate, Active, Passive, and Problem copers.
• Significant differences were observed among these groups regarding optimism, self-efficacy, HLC, and disease perception.

Conclusions:

• Multiple sclerosis patients utilize a diverse range of coping strategies, forming identifiable profiles.
• These distinct coping profiles are associated with varying levels of psychological resources.
• Recognizing these coping profiles is vital for tailoring psychological support to individual multiple sclerosis patients.