PERCEIVED STRESS AND COPING MECHANISMS AS DETERMINING FACTORS OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASES IN ROMANIA
Abstract
The objective of this study was to identify how the impact of perceived stress and the coping mechanisms used by caregivers of patients with chronic diseases in Romania determine their quality of life (QoL). Materials and methods: 69 caregivers of patients with chronic diseases participated in the study. The data resulted from the completion by the caregivers of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), the COPE scale, and the World Health Organization Quality-of-Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF), along with a series of questions related to demographic data, such as gender, age, the environment of origin, the educational level, the civil status, the degree of kinship with the patient, the time since finding out the diagnosis, and the patient’s diagnosis. Results: The findings indicate that there was no significant correlation between perceived stress and QoL. High scores on planning were associated with high scores on QoL, and high scores on restraint from action were associated with low scores on QoL. As for carers, spouses had higher QoL scores compared to the children of the patient with a chronic disease, but also in comparison with the caregivers who were the mother or the father. Caregivers with high scores for pessimism regarding the diagnosis obtained higher QoL scores compared to caregivers who were hopeless. Within the predictive model composed of perceived stress and coping styles, the predictors were restraint from action (β = .416), denial (β = .397), mental passivity (β = .155), and recourse to alcohol-drugs (β = -.238), all of which were significant predictors, and the strongest predictor was restraint from action (β = .416). Conclusions: Caring for a patient with a chronic diagnosis is often a powerful experience for caregivers. The additional tasks taken on with this role, the changes in the previously known rhythm of personal life, and the intensity of the felt stress left important traces in the mental and physical state of the caregivers. The way they perceive stress and the coping mechanisms they use can positively influence their QoL, adjusting their intensity of the new role.
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