Coping processes as predictors of functional health outcomes and mental health in patients with scleroderma

Objective: The purpose of this dissertation was to characterize the relationships between coping processes and overall functional health status and quality of life (Qol).;Methods: Sixty-eight participants were recruited from an outpatient Scleroderma clinic and were given a self-report demographic questionnaire, Ways of Coping questionnaire (WCQ), Scleroderma Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ), and Medical Outcome Short Form.;Results: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that employment was a statistically significant predictor of SHAQ scores such that patients who were employed either part-time or full-time had lower SHAQ scores compared to all other patients. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the relationships between coping predictors and Mental Health Composite (MHC) scores on the SF-36. Escape avoidance was a significant predictor of MHC scores. As escape avoidance scores increased, MHC scores decreased. To elaborate, this finding implicates that patients who engaged in coping strategies such as wishful thinking (e.g., hoping for a miracle and/or wishing their scleroderma would somehow go away) and used behavioral avoidance strategies such as sleeping more and self-medicating to cope with their scleroderma flare ups were more likely to have worse mental health. Future research should examine coping processes prospectively to better understand the relationships between physical and mental health components of quality of life.;Key Words: scleroderma, coping processes, health status, mental health, quality of life.