Effects of Coping Strategies on the Mental Health of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the factor structure of coping strategies and to examine their effects on the mental health of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Subjects consisted of 107 patients who met the diagnostic criteria for COPD. A 14-item coping strategies scale composed of three sub-scales (“active coping,” “one's own control” and “meaning of illness”) was developed and its construct validity was evaluated using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results of the CFA indicated that the scale has acceptable construct validity. Subsequently, the mediating effect of coping strategies in the causal relationship between stress cognition and patients' mental health was investigated using structural equation modeling. The results demonstrated that according to the 3 sub-scales, coping strategies had a direct effect on COPD patients' maintenance of their mental health. Positive coping strategies (“active coping,” “one's own control” and “meaning of illness”) were found to facilitate the maintenance of mental health in COPD patients. The findings suggest that nursing interventions that promote the use of positive coping strategies are necessary in order to maintain the mental health of COPD patients.