Coping methods of patients with inflammatory bowel disease and prediction of perceived health, functional status, and...

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is chronic, incurable, and requires that affected patients cope with their condition on a constant basis. The purpose of this descriptive study was to predict the perceived health, functioning, and well-being among patients with IBD through the use and effectiveness of various coping methods. Forty-six patients with IBD completed the Jalowiec Coping Scale, the Health Status Questionnaire, and a demographic questionnaire. Results indicate that use of evasive, fatalistic, and emotive coping methods along with optimistic coping effectiveness were significantly inversely correlated with health perception and well-being. No coping effectiveness variables and only the use of evasive, fatalistic, and supportive coping methods were significantly inversely correlated with perceived functioning. Regression analysis indicated that 20% of the variance in health perception could be predicted from the use of emotive coping method. Fatalistic coping method use explained 24% of the variance in perceived functioning. Finally, 51% of the variability in perceived well-being could be predicted from the use of fatalistic coping method and the effectiveness of optimistic method. These findings indicate that emotion-focused coping methods are important predictors of the health, functioning, and well-being perceptions of patients with IBD.