Avoidant coping moderates the association between anxiety and patient-rated physical functioning in heart failure patients

Abstract

Previous research has indicated that anxiety may be associated with adverse health outcomes in heart failure patients. Little research, however, has explored whether anxiety interacts with patients' coping strategies in their associations with physical functioning. The present study examined whether coping strategies moderated the association between anxiety and self-rated physical functioning in 273 heart failure patients. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis, adjusting for demographic and medical covariates, indicated that both anxiety (b=1.15, β=0.46, P<0.001) and avoidant coping (b=0.43, β=0.16, P<0.01) were significantly associated with poorer physical functioning in separate models. Results also demonstrated a significant interaction between avoidant coping and anxiety (b=0.56, β=0.14, P<0.01), such that the association between anxiety and poorer physical functioning was stronger for patients who frequently used avoidant coping strategies than for those who avoided less frequently. Approach coping, however, was not directly associated with physical functioning, nor did it moderate the association between anxiety and physical functioning. The findings suggest that anxious heart failure patients who engage in avoidant coping may be at particular risk for physical dysfunction.

Waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

“…It has previously been shown that avoidant coping is related to poorer health outcomes in heart disease patients (Eisenberg et al, 2012). However, the participants in this study did not seem to be experiencing heightened distress as a result of using this coping style.…”

Preventing Internalizing Problems in 6–8 Year Old Children: A Universal School-Based Program

“…Another important protective factor is a child's coping skills repertoire (Wright et al, 2010), with problem focused coping strategies being associated with greater mastery and positive psychological adjustment than avoidant or emotion focused coping skills (Dick-Niederhauser and Silverman, 2004; Klein et al, 2011). The role of an avoidant coping style in the maintenance of internalizing disorders, particularly anxiety, is widely recognized (Barlow, 2002; Eisenberg et al, 2012). For instance, in the avoidance learning model, it is hypothesized that fears or phobias will fail to extinguish if one learns to avoid the feared stimulus (Dymond et al, 2011).…”

Cardiac Disease, Coping with

“…Cross-sectionally, a frequent use of avoidant coping strategies was linked to higher anxiety and to a stronger relationship of anxiety with poor physical functioning in the study by Eisenberg et al (2012), whereas van Elderen et al (1999 reported associations of avoidant coping with lower anxiety and higher well-being at baseline. In this study, avoidant coping did not predict negative emotions later on, although patients, on average, reported to use more avoidant than approach coping.…”