STRESS AND COPING IN EARLY PSYCHOSIS - ROLE OF SYMPTOMS, SELF-EFFICACY, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT IN COPING WITH STRESS

Background Although coping with stress is important in early psychosis , little is known about how this population copes with the range of st ressors they encounter in their daily life.This study aims to identify how people with early psychosis cope with a range of stressful situat ions and to identify what factors might influence their use of coping strategies. Method Participants included a clinical group of 50 people with early psychosis and a non-clinical group of 22 people matched on age and gender. Data were obtained on symptomatology and social suppo rt for the clinical group, and stress and coping, and self-efficacy fo r all participants. Results The clinical group reported coping less we ll than the non-clinical group and they most commonly used emotion foc used coping. For the clinical group. effective coping correlated with less severe negative symptoms. greater perceived self-efficacy. social support and greater use of problem-focused coping. Self-efficacy and social support predicted increased frequency of the use of problem-foc used coping. Conclusion People with early psychosis who have greater f eelings of self-efficacy and perceived social support, and the flexibl e use of problem-focused coping strategies. appear to be more likely t o cope with day-to-day stressors.