Uncertainty, Depression, and Ways of Coping in Women with Endometriosis

Suh, Youngseong; Ahn, Sukhee

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purposes of this study were to identify the level of total symptom distress, uncertainty, depression and ways of coping in women with endometriosis based on Mishel's model of Uncertainty in Chronic illness, and to exam the relationships among symptom distress, depression and ways of coping and the mediating effect of ways of coping between uncertainty and depression. METHOD: The research was used for correlational research design and data were collected with 123 women with endometriosis who live in a local area by convenience sampling. RESULTS: The finding showed that the levels of symptom distress and uncertainty were moderate and the depression was above the middle level. There were positive relationships among symptom distress, uncertainty and depression but a negative relationship between problem focused coping and depression. The significant predictors for depression were symptom distress, uncertainty, and problem focused coping with 40% of explained variance. Problem focused coping showed mediating effect between uncertainty and depression. CONCLUSION: Therefore, nursing intervention for the strategy of increasing problem focused coping as well as lowering uncertainty and depression is recommended. Further study is needed to conduct a repetitive study with randomized nationwide population and to evaluate the theory with different outcomes for adaptation versus maladaptation.