Stress and personal attitudes in chronic illness.
The possible relation of two stressor types (life events and illness experience) to three sets of attitudes (personal life satisfaction, self-assessed coping, and satisfaction with treatment personnel/facilities) was examined within a sample of 97 outpatients having multiple sclerosis. In addition, potential moderators of hypothesized relationships were examined (trait anxiety, age, social class, and knowledge of the disease). When attitudes were regressed on stressors and moderators, both sets of stressors exerted significant influence, though their impacts were mitigated by the moderators. This study's findings support the position that the association of attitudes with stressor exposure in chronic disease populations is contingent on demographic and psychological moderating factors.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013315:Stress, Psychological