title: Relationships among illness uncertainty, stress, coping, and emotional well-being at entry into a clinical drug trial.
abstract: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationships among illness uncertainty, stress, coping, and emotional well-being at the time of entry into a clinical drug trial. Hopefulness and mood state were included as indicators of emotional well-being. The sample included 59 clients who participated in a 2-year trial using methotrexate for progressive multiple sclerosis. Results indicated that ambulation status, education, perceived stress, and illness uncertainty were the best correlates of emotional well-being. The results suggest that clients entering a drug trial with high levels of illness uncertainty and stress are likely to experience mood disturbances and feel less hopeful about treatment effectiveness. This information may be used as a foundation for developing nursing interventions designed to foster emotional well-being at the time of entry into drug trials.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, The University of Akron, OH 44325-3701, USA.
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Wineman
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Schwetz
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Goodkin
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Rudick
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D018579:Patient Selection; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*