Table 1.
Self-reported Coping Strategies in Families
| ULTRA HIGH RISK (N = 11) | RECENT ONSET PSYCHOSIS (N = 12) | |
|---|---|---|
| Modified COPE scale (Carver et al., 1989) | ||
| 1 = “I usually don't do this at all” | ||
| 2 = “I usually do this a little bit” | ||
| 3 = “I usually do this a medium amount” | ||
| 4 = “I usually do this a lot”. | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) |
| 1) Active Coping | 3.6 (0.5) | 3.7 (0.5) |
| I concentrate my efforts on helping my mentally ill relative do something abut his/her illness | 3.6 (0.7) | 3.8 (0.6) |
| I do what has to be done to see that my relative gets services and care for his/her mental illness | 3.8 (0.4) | 3.8 (0.6) |
| I do what has to be done for me to cope with my relative's mental illness | 3.7 (2.0) | 3.6 (0.5) |
| 2) Planning | 2.9 (0.8) | 3.2 (0.8) |
| I try to come up with a strategy about what to do | 2.7 (1.3) | 3.2 (1.0) |
| I make a plan of action to deal with the problems | 2.8 (1.1) | 2.9 (1.2) |
| I think hard about what steps to take | 3.3 (0.8) | 3.5 (0.8) |
| I think about how I might best handle the problems | 3.3 (0.8) | 3.2 (1.3) |
| 3) Suppression of competing activities | 3.0 (0.7) | 2.8 (0.8) |
| I put aside other activities in order to concentrate on this | 3.2 (0.9) | 2.9 (1.2) |
| I focus on dealing with this problem and if necessary let other things slide a little | 2.9 (0.9) | 2.9 (1.2) |
| I keep myself from getting distracted by other thoughts or activities | 2.5 (1.2) | 1.9 (1.3) |
| I try hard to prevent other things from interfering with my efforts at dealing with this | 3.8 (1.9) | 3.3 (0.8) |
| 4) Restraint coping | 2.1 (0.8) | 1.9(0.8) |
| I force myself to wait for the right time to do something | 1.8 (0.8) | 1.5 (0.9) |
| I hold off doing anything about it until the situation permits | 2.6 (2.3) | 1.8 (0.9) |
| I make sure not to make matters worse by acting too soon | 2.5 (1.3) | 2.3 1.4) |
| I restrain myself from doing anything too quickly | 2.0 (1.1) | 1.9 (1.1) |
| 5) Seeking social support for instrumental reasons | 3.0 (0.7) | 2.7 (0.9) |
| I ask people who have similar experiences with their mentally ill relative what they did | 1.6 (0.9) | 2.2 (1.3) |
| I try to get advice from someone about problems I have with my mentally ill relative | 3.3 (0.9) | 2.8 (1.1) |
| I talk to someone to find out more about particular situations I encounter with my mentally ill relative | 3.8 (2.0) | 2.7 (1.3) |
| I talk to someone who I think could do something concrete about a problem I have with my mentally ill relative | 4.0 (1.7) | 3.3 (1.1) |
| 6) Seeking social support for emotional reasons | 3.1 (0.8) | 2.7(1.2) |
| I talk to someone about how I feel about my mentally ill relative | 2.8 (1.2) | 2.5 (1.4) |
| I try to get emotional support from friends or relatives about my relative's mental illness | 3.0 (1.1) | 2.6 (1.3) |
| I discuss my feelings about my mentally ill relative with someone | 3.5 (0.8) | 2.7 (1.2) |
| I get sympathy and understanding from someone about my relative's mental illness | 3.1 (1.2) | 2.8 (1.3) |
| 7) Positive reinterpretation and growth | 3.1 (0.9) | 3.5 (0.5) |
| I try to see my relative's mental illness in a different light, to see the strengths and positive characteristics of my relative | 3.3 (0.9) | 4.5 (2.2) |
| I try to learn from the experience of having a mentally ill relative | 3.0 (1.1) | 3.9 (1.7) |
| I try to grow as a result of my relative's mental illness | 3.09 (1.0) | 3.9 (1.7) |
| 8) Acceptance | 3.1 (0.6) | 2.4 (1.0) |
| I have learned to live with my relative's mental illness | 3.7 (2.0) | 3.6 (2.8) |
| I accept the fact that my relative has a mental illness and I cannot change the fact | 3.2 (1.0) | 2.5 (1.3) |
| I have gotten used to the fact that my relative has a mental illness | 2.8 (1.0) | 3.6 (2.8) |
| 9) Turning to religion | 3.0 (1.0) | 3.4 (0.9) |
| I seek God's help | 3.1 (1.2) | 3.4 (1.2) |
| I try to find comfort in my religion | 2.8 (1.2) | |
| I pray | 3.0 (0.9) | 3.3 91.2) |
| 10) Focus on and venting of emotions | 2.2 (0.6) | 2.0 (0.8) |
| I get upset and let my emotions out | 1.9 (0.9) | 1.7 (0.9) |
| I let my feelings out | 2.1 (1.0) | 2.3 (1.2) |
| I find myself expressing feelings of emotional distress | 2.3 (1.0) | 2.3 (1.1) |
| I get upset and I am really aware of my feelings | 2.6 (0.9) | 1.9 (0.7) |
| 11) Denial | 1.3 (0.3) | 1.6 (0.8) |
| I refuse to accept the situation | 1.1 (0.3) | 1.4 (0.9) |
| I pretend there is no problem | 1.4 (0.7) | 1.5 (1.0) |
| I act as though there is no problem | 1.6 (0.7) | 2.0 (1.2) |
| I say to myself “this isn't really happening” | 1.3 (0.5) | 2.6 (2.3) |
| 12) Behavioral Disengagement | 1.5(0.5) | 1.4 (0.5) |
| I just give up trying to solve the problem | 1.5 (0.8) | 1.3 (0.8) |
| I admit to myself that I can't deal with it and quit trying | 1.6 (0.8) | 1.3 (0.6) |
| I reduce the amount of effort I am putting into solving this problem | 1.6 (0.7) | 1.5 (0.9) |
| 13) Mental Disengagement | 2.0(0.6) | 1.6 (0.6) |
| I turn to work or other substitute activities to take my mind off this problem | 2.6 (1.1) | 1.8 (0.9) |
| I go to the movies or watch T.V to think about the situation less | 1.5 (0.5) | 1.5 (0.7) |
| I daydream about other things | 2.2 (1.1) | 1.4(0.9) |
| I sleep more than usual | 1.7 (1.1) | 1.5(0.9) |
| 14) Alcohol-Drug Disengagement | 1.6 (0.7) | 1.3 (0.5) |
| I try to lose myself for a while by drinking alcohol or taking drugs | 1.7 (1.1) | 1.4 (0.9) |
| I use alcohol or drugs to help me get through the situation | 1.5 (0.7) | 1.1 (0.3) |