title: Stress and coping strategies in spouses of depressed patients.
abstract: The relationships between the coping strategies used by spouses of clinically depressed patients and spouses' anxiety, depression, and marital maladjustment were investigated. Fifty spouses of clinically depressed patients completed a biographical questionnaire, the Coping Strategy Indicator (J. H. Amirkhan, 1990, 1994), the Beck Depression Inventory (A. T. Beck, 1967; A. T. Beck, C. H. Ward, M. Mendelson, J. Mock, & J. Erbaugh, 1961), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (C. D. Spielberger, R. E. Lushene, B. A. Vagg, & E. Jacobs, 1983), and the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test (H. J. Locke & K. M. Wallace, 1959, 1987). Anxiety was highly prevalent in the spouses; more than half were depressed, and half showed marital maladjustment. Significant positive correlations were found between an avoidant coping strategy and anxiety as well as depression, and a significant negative correlation was found between an avoidant coping strategy and marital adjustment. These findings indicate the ineffectiveness of an avoidant coping strategy for spouses of clinically depressed patients.
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011581:Psychological Tests; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires