Estratégias de coping na família da pessoa portadora de esclerose múltipla / Coping strategies in the family of the multiple sclerosis holder

ABSTRACT

Caring for someone is a naturally demanding task, especially when the person is physically and mentally impaired, such as a person with Multiple Sclerosis. Thus, this study aims to identify coping strategies of people identified as caregivers by the person with Multiple Sclerosis, thus understanding the way families view and adapt to this very specific chronic disease. This study is of quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional nature, with a sample of 25 Portuguese families. The F-COPES questionnaire was applied to assess the coping strategies, using the operational matrix of the Dynamic Model of Family Evaluation and Intervention, organized through a semi-structured interview. The study highlights that the person with Multiple Sclerosis is the one mostly expressing feelings (56%) and shows more initiative to solve them (52%). However, this study also shows that about 80% of families reach out to external resources. According to the strategies coping assessment using the F-COPES, 44% of the families involved in this study, agree with Social Support. However, the most adopted strategies are the reframing and passive evaluation (64%), and the least adopted is the search for spiritual support (20%). The knowledge of the adopted coping strategies by the families will enable the family nurse a more tailored intervention to the family needs

RESUMO

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