 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
John A. Hornik, PhD, Terri S. Tobin, PhD, and Blossom Davies, PhD. Advocates for Human Potential, 59 Carriage Road, Amherst, MA 01002, (518) 475-9146 x244, jhornik@ahpnet.com
For more than thirty years, researchers have been interested in the extent to which persons in the general population employ coping mechanisms to manage the stresses of everyday life. However, few if any studies have examined the use of coping mechanisms among persons with serious mental illness. As part of a multi-site study of mental health residential programs, we incorporated questions from the Folkman and Lazarus Inventory of Coping as part of extensive, face-to-face interviews conducted shortly after program entry and at 6, 12, and 18 months thereafter. This presentation will focus on coping mechanisms reported by persons who are seriously mentally ill and who are residents of three types of mental health residential programs: scattered-site supported housing, supervised apartments, and group homes. The program sites are in Massachusetts and Upstate New York. The presentation will include results the following analysis: 1) number of coping mechanisms reported by housing program type and by time; 2) differential use of various types of coping mechanisms, including active-direct, active-indirect, active-negative, social support, reframing, and passive/wishing; 3) predictors (e.g., housing type, resident-staff relationships, choice in living situation) of the use of coping mechanisms; and 4) the impact of coping mechanisms on resident outcomes (e.g., housing stability, crisis events, isolation, quality of life). The data to be reported were gathered as part of a larger, national study of mental health housing programs sponsored by the Center for Mental Health Services under a cooperative agreement.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Coping, Mental Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.