The Prospective Effects of Coping Strategies on Mental Health and Resilience at Five Months after HSCT.

OBJECTIVES

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a stressful event that engenders psychological distress. This study examines the prospective effects of coping strategies during hospitalization on resilience and on various mental-health dimensions at five months after transplantation.

METHODS

One hundred and seventy patients (M = 52.24, = 13.25) completed a questionnaire assessing adjustment strategies during hospitalization, and 91 filled out a questionnaire five months after HSCT (M = 51.61, = 12.93).

RESULTS

Multiple regression analyses showed that a fighting spirit strategy positively predicted resilience ( < 0.05), whereas anxious preoccupations predicted anxiety ( < 0.05), poorer mental QoL ( < 0.01), and were associated with an increased risk of developing PTSD (OR = 3.27, < 0.01; 95% CI: 1.36, 7.84) at five months after transplantation. Hopelessness, avoidance, and denial coping strategies were not predictive of any of the mental health outcomes. Finally, the number of transplantations was negatively related to a fighting spirit ( < 0.01) and positively related to hopelessness-helplessness ( < 0.001): Conclusions: These results highlight the importance of developing psychological interventions focused on coping to alleviate the negative psychological consequences of HSCT.