[Strategies for coping with chronic disease. Study of adult hemophiliacs].

The present study was performed to investigate the coping modes of 43 adult hemophiliacs. The individual experiences of the patients were taken into account by the biographic method. The evaluation was managed according to a categorial system which is primarily oriented at the "Daseinstechniken" as defined by Thomae (1968). Referring to the situative classes of "illness", "fields of education and profession" and "contact sphere" the patients' reaction patterns were more specific to the situation than to the personality. All in all "accepting the situation" turned out to be the most frequent form of reaction.