Antecedents of Coping with the Disease in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Content Analysis.
Ali Dehghani, Nahid Dehghan Nayeri, Abbas Ebadi
PMID 28097178WHAT IT FOUND
Eleven Iranian patients with multiple sclerosis described five factors they believed helped them cope: family and peer support, downplaying the disease, faith, disease knowledge and peer models, and financial and environmental situation.
These were experiences, not tested treatments.
Key findings
01Five categories of factors participants said helped them cope were social support, lenience, reliance on faith, knowledge of multiple sclerosis and modeling, and economic and environmental situation.
02Participants said support from family, spouse, friends, other patients, the MS Society and organizations such as insurance or treatment programs helped them cope.
03Loss of employment, high drug costs and stressful or unsuitable environments were described as affecting coping.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Findings came from 11 patients selected purposively from one MS Society in Tehran, so they may not represent patients elsewhere or those not connected to the Society. The study is qualitative and reports participants' beliefs about what helps coping; it did not measure coping outcomes, compare groups or test any intervention. Early participants were known to the researcher, and the culture-specific context of Iran may limit transferability.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these five categories as proven causes of better coping. The study asked 11 Iranian patients what they believed helped them cope; it did not test any intervention, and the themes may not apply outside that culture and MS Society setting.