Coping strategies of the Jackson Heart Study

Background: Two general coping strategies have been noted: problem-solving strategies which represent efforts to do something active to alleviate stressful circumstances, and emotion-focused coping strategies that involve efforts to regulate the emotional consequences of stressful or potentially stressful events. Research indicates that people use both types of strategies to combat most stressful events. The purpose of the study was to investigate coping behaviors among African American participants in the Jackson Heart Study to identify associations between self-reported coping strategies and self-reported cardiovascular disease (CVD) status, such as heart attacks, stroke symptoms, kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. Methods: Structured interviews were conducted through the use of the CSI-SF with 5302 African Americans participating in the Jackson Heart Study. The CSI-SF is believed to adequately measure coping behaviors of African-Americans. Pearson r correlation analyses were conducted using the participants' coping strategies. Multiple regression analysis was computed to examine the degree of the relationship of the variables and the predictability potential. Results: Physical health outcomes are improved with an active compared to avoidant coping strategy. Active coping with disease was associated with fewer recurrences and longer survival rate. Avoidance coping was associated with more disease occurrences. Discussion: Behavioral and self-management practices can influence health status. By adequately addressing an individual's ability to cope with psychological distress, medical personnel can assist individuals to develop strategies/practices for improving health outcomes