The Relationship of Discomforting Factors with Coping Strategies Among Patients in Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Units

Patients in cardiac surgery intensive care units are affected by different discomforting factors and use different strategies for their management.
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of discomforting factors with coping strategies among patients hospitalized in cardiac surgery intensive care units.
This descriptive - correlational study was done in 2016. A convenience sample of 110 patients was drawn from the cardiac surgery intensive care unit of Amir - al - momenin heart surgery center, Kordkuy, Iran. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Discomforting Factors in Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit Questionnaire, and Jalowiec Coping Scale. Pearson correlation analysis, the one - way analysis of variance, the paired - sample t - test and the Tukey’s post hoc test were used to analyze the data. Data analysis was performed via the SPSS software (v. 16.0) and at a significance level of less than 0.05.
The mean score of discomforting factors was greater than the moderate level (74.08 ± 16.93). Participants used emotion - focused coping strategies more than problem-focused ones. Discomforting factors were inversely correlated with problem - focused strategies (r = - 0.266; P = 0.005) and directly correlated with emotion-focused strategies (r = 0.247; P = 0.009).
Patients in cardiac surgery intensive care units suffer from the negative effects of different discomforting factors and use emotion - focused coping strategies more than problem - focused strategies for the management of the factors.