Psychiatry Investig.  2020 Jan;17(1):71-77. 10.30773/pi.2019.0152.

Similarities and Differences of Strategies between Bipolar and Depressive Disorders on Stress Coping

• Suh H
• Kang TU
• Moon E
• Park JM
• Lee BD
• Lee YM
• Jeong HJ
• Kim SY
• Lee K
• Lim HJ

• KMID: 2501480
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2019.0152

Abstract

Objective
As coping strategies can influence the illness course of mood disorder, they could be potential targets for psychological intervention. The current study investigated the similarities and differences in stress coping styles between bipolar disorder (BD) and depressive disorder (DD).
Methods
Subjects with BD (n=135) and DD (n=100) who met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were included in this analysis. Coping strategies were assessed using the coping inventory for stressful situations and depressive symptoms were assessed by Beck depression inventory.
Results
The BD group showed significantly more avoidant and task-oriented coping than the DD group (t=2.714, p=0.007; t=2.193, p=0.039). After excluding the effect of the depressive symptoms themselves (by comparing two groups in non-depressive state), the BD group still showed significantly more avoidant and task-oriented coping than the DD group (t=2.040, p=0.045; t=2.556, p=0.013), but when the symptoms of depression get greater, the difference between BD and DD coping strategies were reduced.
Conclusion
Subjects with BD tend to use more task and avoidant coping than DD subjects. But when the symptoms of depression get greater, the difference in coping strategies between BD and DD were reduced.

Keyword

Stress, Coping skills, Mood disorder, Depressive disorder, Bipolar disorder