The Mediating Role of Coping Strategies in Linking Personality Traits and Family Functioning with Disease Perception in MS Patients

Disease perception, which plays an important role in the treatment process and following health instructions, is influenced by various psychological factors.. The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of coping strategies in the relationship between personality traits and family functioning with perception of the disease in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

The method of this study was descriptive with a correlational design based on path analysis and statistical population of all patients with with multiple sclerosis disease referred to the offices of neurologists and Kashani Hospital in Shahrekord in 2020, from which 250 people were selected by purposive sampling method. Data collection tools included Bradbent et al.'s Awareness Questionnaire, Neo Personality Traits Questionnaire, Bishop and Baldwin Family Performance Scale, and Lazarus and Folkman Coping Strategies Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS-24 and Amos-19 software and path analysis.

The results showed that the research model has a good fit. The results also showed that coping strategies in the relationship between neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreement, Openness, extroversion and family functioning play a mediating role in the perception of the disease.

Family performance and personality traits can lead to a better perception of the disease for the individual with positive effects on the adoption of effective coping strategies.