Coping among spouses or significant others of persons with multiple sclerosis

The purpose of this study was to identify coping strategies used by a sample of 156 spouses/significant others of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) in meeting the challenges of living with and/or caring for someone with MS. An additional purpose was to determine if differences existed among the coping strategies with respect to frequency of use, dependency status of the person with MS, the presence or absence of illness in the spouse/significant other, and the latter's gender and relationship to the person with MS. Low alpha coefficients were obtained on most of the Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS) subscales. Subsequent factor analysis resulted in six factors. Two were problem focused (Planning, Confrontive); three were emotion focused (Ambivalence, Escape/Anger, Distancing); and one was problem and emotion focused combined (Accepting). The factors represented 31 of the 60 JCS items. Alpha coefficients were between .66 and .76. Significantly more problem-than emotion-focused coping dimension strategies were used. More coping strategies were used from the Planning. Distancing, and Escape/Anger dimensions when persons with MS were dependent rather than independent; the Distancing dimension when the spouse/significant other was also ill; and the Planning dimension when the spouse/significant other was a man. Spouses used more coping strategies from the Ambivalence and fewer from the Distancing and Escape/Anger dimensions than did significant others.