Coping of Chronically-Ill Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Comparison between Four Groups

Mateusz Łuc (), Marcin Pawłowski, Arkadiusz Jaworski, Karolina Fila-Witecka, Dorota Szcześniak, Hanna Augustyniak-Bartosik, Dorota Zielińska, Aleksandra Stefaniak, Anna Pokryszko-Dragan, Justyna Chojdak-Łukasiewicz, Magdalena Krajewska, Tomasz Pawłowski, Jacek C. Szepietowski and Joanna Rymaszewska
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Mateusz Łuc: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Marcin Pawłowski: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Arkadiusz Jaworski: Students Research Association, Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Karolina Fila-Witecka: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Dorota Szcześniak: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Hanna Augustyniak-Bartosik: Dialysis Unit, Department of Nephrology and Transplantology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
Dorota Zielińska: Department of Nephrology and Transplantology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
Aleksandra Stefaniak: Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Anna Pokryszko-Dragan: Department of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
Justyna Chojdak-Łukasiewicz: Department of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
Magdalena Krajewska: Dialysis Unit, Department of Nephrology and Transplantology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
Tomasz Pawłowski: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Jacek C. Szepietowski: Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Joanna Rymaszewska: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: In many countries, the COVID-19 pandemic led to healthcare reorganization limiting access to diagnostic or therapeutic procedures for chronically-ill patients. In this article, we describe the psychological consequences and coping strategies of several groups of chronically-ill patients. During the cross-sectional survey conducted in 2020, we enrolled 398 patients with four different chronic conditions (psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, and patients who have undergone a kidney transplant or received dialysis). The study sample was examined regarding the experienced stress levels (Perceived Stress Scale) and coping strategies (Brief-COPE). All four groups of patients most commonly declared using problem-focused coping strategies and least commonly reported the use of avoidant coping. Higher levels of perceived stress strongly correlated with self-blaming. The participants who declared previous psychiatric treatment or psychotherapy were more likely to use self-blaming, behavioral disengagement, substance use, and avoidant coping, while previous psychotherapy additionally correlated with emotion-focused coping. Group comparison identifies patients with a chronic neurological disease, such as multiple sclerosis, at higher risk of a less beneficial coping profile than kidney transplant recipients. Further focus on education and early interventions in at-risk individuals is needed, and widely targeted mental health programs are indicated in order to improve the mental health of patients suffering from chronic diseases.

Keywords: pandemic; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; chronic diseases; psychopathology; coping; chronic kidney disease; multiple sclerosis; psoriasis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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