Objective To determine the correlations between coping strategies, depression, stress levels and pain perception in patients with endometriosis.Methods This prospective and exploratory study included 171 women undergoing treatment for endometriosis between April and August 2014. The questionnaires used were Brief COPE, Beck Depression Inventory, Lipp’s Stress Symptom Inventory for Adults and Visual Analogue Scale. Clinical data were collected from electronic medical records.Results Patients with endometriosis who used positive coping strategies had better adaptation to stress (p<0.004) and less depression (p<0.004). The presence and intensity of depression, stress and acyclic pelvic pain were directly associated (p<0.05). The intensity of dysmenorrhea was associated with the degree of depression (p<0.001), whereas acyclic pelvic pain was associated with the degree of depression (p<0.001), stress level (p<0.001) and stress type (p<0.001).Conclusion We found a positive association between coping, depression levels, type and levels of stress and pain intensity in patients with endometriosis. The use of maladaptive coping strategies focused on emotion is correlated with increase in depression and stress.

Introduction Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease that affects women of reproductive age, causing pain and the possibility of infertility. Endometriosis was associated to low life quality and research shows the impact of endometriosis in several areas of life, justifying how these patients are more likely to develop depression, anxiety, and stress. Objective The aim of the present systematic review was to explore the field of psychology in endometriosis, identifying studies that used the cognitive behavioral therapy technique as a treatment for endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain. Methods The keywords used were Endometriosis and Behavioral Therapy; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Mental Health; Psychological Techniques; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Mental Health Services; and the search was performed in the following databases: PubMed/Medline, Scielo, Lilacs, and Capes. The study followed the PRISMA guidelines and all studies whose intervention strategy used was related to cognitive-behavioral therapy were considered. Results Of the 129 articles found, only 5 were selected, and it was possible to identify that the psychological intervention whose approach brought cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques promoted a decrease in the sensation of pain, improvements in the scores of depression and stress, and significant changes in aspects of quality of life such as vitality, physical and social functioning, emotional well-being, control, and autonomy. Conclusion Cognitive-behavioral therapy can be very promising to take care of the emotional side of those who have endometriosis However, the present systematic review highlights the need to develop more structured studies with consistent, clear and replicable methods to reach a psychological intervention protocol for patients who live with this gynecological-physical-emotional condition.