title: Characteristics of stress-coping behaviors in patients with bipolar disorders.
abstract: Appropriate stress-coping strategies are needed to improve the outcome in the treatment of bipolar disorders, as stressful life events may aggravate the course of the illness. The aim of this study was to compare stress-coping behaviors between bipolar patients and healthy controls. A total of 206 participants comprising 103 bipolar patients fulfilling the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Axis I disorder fourth edition (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria for bipolar I and II disorders and controls matched by age and sex were included in this study. Stress-coping behaviors were assessed using a 53-item survey on a newly-designed behavioral checklist. The characteristics of stress-coping behaviors between the two groups were compared by using t-test and factor analysis. Social stress-coping behaviors such as 'journey', 'socializing with friends', and 'talking something over' were significantly less frequent in bipolar patients than controls. On the other hand, pleasurable-seeking behaviors such as 'smoking', 'masturbation', and 'stealing' were significantly more frequent in bipolar patients than controls. These results suggest that bipolar patients may have more maladaptive stress-coping strategies than normal controls. It is recommended to develop and apply psychosocial programs to reduce maladaptive stress-coping behaviors of bipolar patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eunsoo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: Mood Disorder Clinic and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Seung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Duksung Women׳s University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sungwon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Mood Disorder Clinic and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Hyon
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Jinju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Boseok
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Sang
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Je Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Dae
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yoonmi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Mood Disorder Clinic and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, Medical Research Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kyooha@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Kyooseob
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ha
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bipolar disorder; Coping behavior; Coping strategy; Stress