Are coping strategies related to acceptance of disability among mobility impaired individuals?

Abstract

Background: Many studies have suggested a relationship between coping strategies used to deal with stressors and levels of psychological well-being, but it has not yet been established whether coping strategies are related to acceptance of disability among people who have mobility impairment. This study aimed to investigate the importance of coping strategies on acceptance of disability for mobility impaired individuals. Method: The study sample consisted 223 mobility impaired individuals (81 men and 142 women), aged between 18 and 66. Their coping strategies were assessed using Brief-COPE questionnaire [1] measuring 14 different coping strategies. All the strategies were grouped into three groups: 1) adaptive problem-focused strategies 2) adaptive emotion-focused strategies, 3) maladaptive coping strategies. The acceptance of disability was measured using Acceptance of Disability scale – Revised [2]. Results: Men and women tend to use different strategies of coping. Men reported using active coping, substance use and humor as coping strategies more often than women. Meanwhile, women reported using venting, religion and use of emotional and instrumental support as coping strategies more often compared to men. The results revealed that individuals who use adaptive problem-focused and adaptive emotion-focused coping strategies more often reported having higher acceptance of disability and its components compared to individuals who use these adaptive strategies less often, regardless of gender. On the other hand, male and female respondents who use maladaptive coping strategies more often reported having lower acceptance of disability and its components than respondents who use these strategies less often. Linear regression analysis identified denial, substance use, behavioral disengagement, positive reframing and self-blame as main significant predictors of acceptance of disability (R²=.502, p<.001). [...]