title: Associations between coping strategies and mental health in individuals with type 2 diabetes: Prospective analyses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Individuals with type 2 diabetes are at greater risk of developing a number of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and diabetes-related distress, than individuals without type 2 diabetes. Cross-sectional studies suggest that some coping strategies may increase the risk of mental health conditions in individuals with diabetes, whereas others may be protective. This study extends the cross-sectional evidence base with a prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected annually for 2 years from a community sample of 1,742 adults with type 2 diabetes. Coping strategies were measured at baseline and mental health conditions were assessed at each time point with self-report symptom measures. For comparison, cross-sectional and prospective analyses were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cross-sectional analyses demonstrated that task-oriented coping was negatively associated with the likelihood of each of the mental health conditions, emotion-oriented coping was positively associated with the likelihood of each condition, and avoidance-oriented coping showed no association. Prospective analyses revealed that among individuals who did not have elevated depressive symptoms at baseline, only emotion-oriented coping predicted the likelihood of developing major depression syndrome during follow-up. Similar patterns of results were observed for elevated anxiety symptoms and diabetes-related distress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cross-sectional results differed from prospective results. Only emotion-oriented coping appears to play a role in the development of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and diabetes-related distress. Results underscore the importance of examining prospective associations and suggest that interventions targeting specific coping strategies might alleviate mental health problems in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, McGill University.
authors.forename: Rachel J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5337-7878
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, McGill University.
authors.forename: Sonya S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Deschênes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, McGill University.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schmitz
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D057566:Self Report; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*