Emotional distress, coping and adjustment in family members of neuroscience intensive care unit patients

Objective luated emotional distress, coping strategy use, caregiver adjustment, and the relationship among these variables in family members (FMs) of patients hospitalized in a neuroscience intensive care unit (NSICU). s one primary relatives of NSICU patients were administered the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and an abbreviated version of the COPE within 2 days of admission to the NSICU, just prior to patient discharge from the unit, and approximately 30 days after patient discharge (follow-up). FMsʹ adjustment to the role of caregiver was also evaluated at follow-up with the Caregiver Appraisal Scale (CAS). s otional distress levels were higher than those of the nonpatient normative sample at patient admission, but, except for anxiety, were within a standard deviation of the mean of the said group; with the exception of anxiety they declined to below nonpatient normative levels at follow-up. Femalesʹ distress levels were higher than those of malesʹ. FMsʹ use of both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies increased from admission through follow-up. Emotional distress was unrelated to problem-focused coping but was associated with emotion-focused coping at admission and discharge, with use of denial as a coping strategy primarily accounting for this relationship. Extent of use of both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping at admission was associated with better caregiver adjustment at follow-up, but over time only increases in problem-focused coping were associated with better subsequent caregiver adjustment. sions gs suggest that interventions fostering increased use of problem-focused coping and sense of control will be effective in lowering FM distress level and enhancing subsequent adjustment in the role of caregiver.