Betrokken instelling

Adhesie GGZ, Rivierduinen, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen

Betrokken personen

• Drs. P.J.J. Goossens
• Dr. E.A.M. Knoppert- van der Klein
• Prof. Dr. T. van Achterberg

Startdatum en looptijd

2005, afgerond.

Achtergrond van het onderzoek

Patients with a bipolar disorder need to cope with the problems they encounter, the consequences of their disease, and unpleasant events in order to stay well.

Doelstelling van het project

This study was undertaken to gain greater insight into the coping styles of outpatients with a bipolar disorder when confronted with problems and unpleasant events.

Hoe wordt het onderzoek uitgevoerd?

The participants (n = 157) completed the Utrecht Coping List and a questionnaire addressing various demographic and clinical characteristics.

Zijn er al (voorlopige) resultaten?

In the present study, the coping styles used by outpatients with a bipolar disorder in the Netherlands were examined. The outpatients were generally found to report using a less active, more passive, and more avoidant coping style when confronted with problems or unpleasant events than people in the general population. In addition, the coping styles of the outpatients also differed somewhat from the normal population depending on gender. Male outpatients were better able to undertake activities to provide diversion (a palliative reaction), openly express their emotions, and seek social support than the males in the norm group. Female outpatients, in contrast, tended to use fewer reassuring thoughts than the females in the norm group. Although causality cannot be assumed, active coping styles appear to occur relatively more often in patients who already have or are developing action plans to cope with the prodromal symptoms related to their disorder and in patients with higher educational levels. A passive coping style, in contrast, appears to be related to frequent acute episodes of depression and/or (hypo)mania.

Goossens, P. J. J., Knoppert-van der Klein, E. A. M., van Achterberg, Th. Coping styles of outpatients with a bipolar disorder. Archives of psychiatric nursing. In press