[Stress, coping strategies and quality of life in patients with globus]

Objective: To explore the associations of stress, coping strategies and quality of life in globus patients. Methods: A total of 180 patients diagnosed with globus were retrospectively analyzed between September 2018 to July 2020 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University.The questionnaire included baseline characteristics and assessment scales. Quality of life was measured by short-form health survey-36 (SF-36), which included physical composite score (PCS) and mental composite score (MCS). Perceived stress was measured by perceived stress scale 10 (PSS-10). The coping strategy was evaluated by medical coping modes questionnaire (MCMQ). We analyzed the relationship between baseline characteristics, stress, coping strategies, and quality of life, and the influential factors of quality of life. Results: PCS was affected by the number of previous chronic illness, age, stress, confrontation, and avoidance (F=3.647, r=-0.263, -0.634, 0.249, -0.329, all P<0.05). MCS was related to monthly income, marital status, stress, confrontation, and resignation (F=1.963, 5.764, r=-0.312, 0.384, -0.360, all P<0.05). Based on the data of multiple linear regression analysis, stress was negatively correlated with both PCS and MCS (t=-3.883, -9.708, all P<0.01), confrontation was positively correlated with both PCS and MCS (t=2.030, 2.798, P=0.044, 0.006), and resignation was negatively correlated with MCS (t=-1.585, P=0.025). Besides, age was negatively correlated with PCS (t=-2.736, P=0.007), and monthly income was positively correlated with MCS (t=2.497, P=0.013). Conclusion: Aging, low income, over stress, resignation rather than confrontation as a coping style impair the quality of life in globus patients.