Naslov
Coping Strategies in Children with Asthma

Autori
Macuka, Ivana ; Vulić-Prtorić, Anita

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, ostalo

Izvornik
26th European Conference of Psychosomatic Research, Cavtat - Journal of Psychosomatic Research / Tkalčić, Mladenka ; Sivik, Tatjana - Orlando (FL) : Elsevier, 2006

Skup
26th European Conference of Psychosomatic Research

Mjesto i datum
Cavtat, Hrvatska, 27.09.2006. - 30.09.2006

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
coping strategies; asthma; children

Sažetak
Chronic physical illness presents stressors of high intensity and long duration. They affect overall child and adolescent growth and development and their adjustment. Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood and adolescence. Children average prevalence of asthma in Croatia goes from 1.5% to 5% and presents one quarter of all chronic diseases in children. Epidemiological literature shows that the presence of psychiatric disorders in children that are chronically ill is double higher than in healthy children (Pless and Nolan, 1989 ; Holden at al., 1997 ; according to Lacković-Grgin, 2000). According to review of Garrison and McQuistan (1989 ; according to Spirito at al., 1995) the results of recent studies shows that those children are capable of successfully adapting to stressors that come out of chronic diseases. The factors that are consistently mentioned as important for understanding stress and chronic diseases relations are coping strategies, some personality traits, peer relationships, family structure, social support etc. Coping strategies have significant mediating role in psychological adjustment to illness and include all those behaviors that are used in overcoming the difficulties in stressful situations. They relate to emotional, cognitive and behavioral responses to stressful situations and variate with time and characteristics of concrete stressful situations. The aim of this research was to determine which strategies of coping children with asthma most frequently use and which ones they find most effective. Forty eight children (38 boys and 8 girls) at the age of 10 to 15 years that have extrinsic type of asthma have participated in this research. The Coping Strategies Inventory for Children and Adolescents – SUO (Vulić-Prtorić, 2002) was used as a measure instrument. It consists 58 items divided in 7 subscales that describe 7 coping dimensions: Problem Solving, Expressing Feelings, Avoidance, Distraction, Social Support – Friends, Social Support – Family, and Cognitive Restructuring. Applying the SUO scale we get information about frequency and effectiveness of coping strategies used by children and adolescents in response to stressful events. This research has shown that children with asthma most frequently use: Problem Solving, Distraction and Social Support from Family and Friends in coping with stress, and as most efficient they evaluated the Problem Solving strategies, Social Support from Family and Friends, and Distraction.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Psihologija

POVEZANOST RADA