Coping responses as predictors of satisfaction with life amongst a group of patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which coping responses could predict the level of life satisfaction experienced by patients suffering from diabetes mellitus. A non-experimental, cross-sectional design was adopted. The sample consisted of 154 individuals(62 Type I diabetics, 80 Type II diabetics, and 12 individuals for whom diagnostic information was not available) recruited from the outpatient diabetes clinic at a large state hospital. All participants completed the Coping Responses Inventory – Adult Version, as well as the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Initially, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the relationship between the predictor variables (coping responses) and the criterion variable(satisfaction with life). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to determine the amount of variance in the satisfaction with life scores that was explained by coping responses. The combination of approach and avoidance coping subscales accounted for 33% of the variance in the participants’ satisfaction with life scores. However, upon further analysis, the avoidance coping subscales were found to account for 28% of the variance in the sample’s satisfaction with life. The cognitive avoidance subscale and the acceptance or resignation subscale were found to correlate negatively with satisfaction with life at the 1% level of significance. It appears that approach coping responses do not predict the satisfaction with life experienced by individuals suffering from diabetes. However, avoidant coping responses, particularly cognitive avoidance and acceptance or resignation, are predictive of lower levels of satisfaction with life. Opsomming Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om vas te stel tot watter mate hanteringsgedrag (coping responses)die vlak van lewenstevredenheid by pasiente wat aan diabetes ly kan voorspel. ’n Nie-eksperimentele, dwarssnit ontwerp is gebruik. Die steekproef het uit 154 individue (62 Tipe I-diabetes, 80 Tipe II-diabetes en 12 individue waarvan die diagnostiese inligting nie beskikbaar was nie) bestaan, wat van die buitepasiente kliniek by ’n groot staatshospitaal verkry is. Alle deelnemers het die Coping Responses Inventory – Adult Version, sowel as die Satisfaction with Life Scale voltooi.Aanvanklik is die Pearson produkmoment korrelasie koeffisiente bereken om die verhouding tussen die voorspeller-veranderlikes (coping responses/hanteringsgedrag) en die kriterium-veranderlike(satisfaction with life/lewenstevredenheid) te ondersoek. Hierargiese regressie-analise is uitgevoer om die hoeveelheid variansie in die lewenstevredenheid-telling wat deur hanteringsgedrag verklaar is, te bepaal. Die kombinasie van approach en avoidance coping subscales het 33% van die variansie in die deelnemers se Lewenstevredenheid-telling verklaar. Na verdere ontleding is egter gevind dat die avoidance coping subscales 28% van die variansie in die lewenstevredenheid van die steekproef verklaar het.Daar is gevind dat die cognitive avoidance subscale en die acceptance or resignation subscale negatief op die 1% peil van betekenisvolheid met lewenstevredenheid korreleer. Dit blyk dat toenaderings (approach coping responses) nie die lewenstevredenheid by individue wat aan diabetes ly, voorspel nie. Vermydingsgedrag (avoidant coping responses), in besonder kognitiewe vermyding en aanvaarding of berusting, is egter voorspellend van laer vlakke van lewenstevredenheid.