Coping strategies used by patients after diagnosis disclosure in the transition to palliative care: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify the coping strategies used by cancer and non-cancer patients with palliative needs, and to verify if there were differences in the coping strategies adopted between sociodemographic groups. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out from September to November 2019, at Maputo Central Hospital, in the units of Medicine, Surgery, Orthopedics, Gynecology and Obstetrics. Eligible patients (n = 94) were included in the study and answered a self-completion scale adapted from the Coping Strategies Inventory by Folkman and Lazarus together with a sociodemographic questionnaire. Results: Our study demonstrates that the most used coping strategies were Social Support, followed by Planful Problem Solving, Escape-Avoidance, and Positive Reappraisal strategies. In addition, significant differences were observed between religious beliefs, with Christians resorting more to coping strategies related to Social Support, Accepting Responsibility and Escape-Avoidance than Evangelicals, and between different levels of education, with greater resort to Social Support, Accepting Responsibility, Planful Problem Solving, and Positive Reappraisal in patients with high education. Conclusions: The results indicate that most of the respondents in this study used more adaptive coping strategies, such as Social Support and Positive Reappraisal, and less avoidant strategies, such as Distancing and Confrontation. There is a need to reinforce positive strategies from health professionals to increase satisfaction, autonomy, and promote patient’s quality of life.