Abstract
There is little known about coping styles used by individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) and even less known about the influence of a comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (SMI-PTSD) diagnosis on coping. The current study examines differences in utilization of coping strategies, overall psychological distress, and exposure to traumatic events between SMI only and SMI-PTSD individuals seeking community mental health clinic services (N = 90). Results demonstrate that overall psychological distress and use of avoidance coping were significantly higher among the SMI-PTSD sample. Avoidance coping partially mediated the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and psychological distress. Findings suggest that the experience of PTSD for those with SMI is associated with increases in avoidance coping, a coping style that significantly contributes to psychological distress. Implications for further study and treatment within community mental health clinics are considered.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alvarez, M.-J., Roura, P., Foguet, Q., Oses, A., Sola, J., & Arrufat, F.-X. (2012). Posttraumatic stress disorder comorbidity and clinical implications in patients with severe mental illness. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 200(6), 549–552.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (Revised 4th ed.). Washington: Author
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator, Äìmediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173.
Betensky, J. D., Robinson, D. G., Gunduz-Bruce, H., Sevy, S., Lencz, T., Kane, J. M., & Szeszko, P. R. (2008). Patterns of stress in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research, 160(1), 38–46.
Blanchard, E. B., Jones-Alexander, J., Buckley, T. C., & Forneris, C. A. (1996). Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist (PCL). Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34(8), 669–673. doi:10.1016/0005-7967(96)00033-2.
Breslau, N., Davis, G. C., Andreski, P., & Peterson, E. (1991). Traumatic events and posttraumatic stress disorder in an urban population of young adults. Archives of General Psychiatry, 48(3), 216–222.
Carver, C. S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol’s too long: Consider the Brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4(1), 92–100. doi:10.1207/s15327558ijbm0401_6.
Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56(2), 267–283. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.56.2.267.
Christensen, R. C., Hodgkins, C. C., Garces, L. K., Estlund, K. L., Miller, M. D., & Touchton, R. (2005). Homeless, mentally ill and addicted: The need for abuse and trauma services. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 16(4), 615–621. doi:10.1353/hpu.2005.0091.
Clark, R. E., Ricketts, S. K., & McHugo, G. J. (1999). Legal system involvement an costs for persons in treatment for severe mental illness and substance use disorders. Psychiatric Services, 50(5), 641–647.
Cusack, K. J., Grubaugh, A. L., Knapp, R. G., & Frueh, B. C. (2006). Unrecognized trauma and PTSD among public mental health consumers with chronic and severe mental illness. Community Mental Health Journal, 42(5), 487–500. doi:10.1007/s10597-006-9049-4.
Derogatis, L. R. (1975). Brief symptom inventory. Baltimore: Clinical Psychometric Research.
Derogatis, L. R., & Melisaratos, N. (1983). The brief symptom inventory: An introductory report. Psychological Medicine: A Journal of Research in Psychiatry and the Allied Sciences, 13(3), 595–605. doi:10.1017/s0033291700048017.
First, M. B., Gibbon, M., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., & Benjamin, L. S. (1997). User’s guide for the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV axis II personality disorders (SCID-II). Washington: American Psychiatric Press.
First, M. B., Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M., & Williams, J. B. W. (1996). User’s guide for the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders-research version (SCID-I). New York: Biometrics Research Department.
Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E., & McHugh, P. R. (1975). “Mini-mental state”: A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12(3), 189–198. doi:10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6.
Ford, J. D. (2012). Ethnoracial and educational differences in victimization history, trauma-related symptoms, and coping style. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, And Policy, 4(2), 177–185. doi:10.1037/a0023670.
Fortier, M. A., DiLillo, D., Messman-Moore, T. L., Peugh, J., DeNardi, K. A., & Gaffey, K. J. (2009). Severity of child sexual abuse and revictimization: The mediating role of coping and trauma symptoms. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 33(3), 308–320. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2009.01503.x.
Frueh, B., Grubaugh, A. L., Cusack, K. J., & Elhai, J. D. (2009). Disseminating evidence-based practices for adults with PTSD and severe mental illness in public-sector mental health agencies. Behavior Modification, 33(1), 66–81. doi:10.1177/0145445508322619.
Galor, S., & Hentschel, U. (2012). Problem-solving tendencies, coping styles, and self-efficacy among Israeli veterans diagnosed with PTSD and depression. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 17(6), 522–535. doi:10.1080/15325024.2012.674440.
Gearon, J. S., Kaltman, S. I., Brown, C., & Bellack, A. S. (2003). Traumatic life events and PTSD among women with substance use disorders and schizophrenia. Psychiatric Services, 54(4), 523–528. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.54.4.523.
Grubaugh, A. L., Zinzow, H. M., Paul, L., Egede, L. E., & Frueh, B. C. (2011). Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder in adults with severe mental illness: A critical review. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(6), 883–899. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2011.04.003.
Harris, M., & Fallot, R. D. (2001a). Using trauma theory to design service systems. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Harris, M., & Fallot, R. D. (2001b). Envisioning a trauma-informed service system: A vital paradigm shift. New Directions for Mental Health Service, 89, 3–22.
Hiday, V. A., Swartz, M. S., Swanson, J. W., Borum, R., & Wagner, H. R. (1999). Criminal victimization of persons with severe mental illness. Psychiatric Services (Washington, D. C.), 50(1), 62–68.
Hoe, M., & Brekke, J. S. (2008). Cross-ethnic measurement invariance of the brief symptom inventory for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. Social Work Research, 32(2), 71–78.
Holahan, C. J., Moos, R. H., & Schaefer, J. A. (1996). Coping, stress resistance and growth: Conceptualizing adaptive functioning. In M. Zeidner & N. S. Endler (Eds.), Handbook of coping: Theory, research and applications (pp. 24–43). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Horan, W. P., Ventura, J., Mintz, J., Kopelowicz, A., Wirshing, D., Christian-Herman, J., & Liberman, R. P. (2007). Stress and coping responses to a natural disaster in people with schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research, 151(1–2), 77–86. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2006.10.009.
Kessler, R. C., Sonnega, A., Bromet, E., Hughes, M., et al. (1995). Posttraumatic stress disorder in the national comorbidity survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 52(12), 1048–1060.
Krageloh, C. (2011). A systematic review of studies using the Brief COPE: Religious coping in factor analyses. Religions, 2, 216–246.
Lazarus, R., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer Publishing.
Lobbestael, J., Leurgans, M., & Arntz, A. (2011). Inter-rater reliability of the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders (SCID-I) and axis II disorders (SCID-II). Clinical Psychology Psychotherapy, 18(1), 75–90. doi:10.1002/cpp.693.
Lommen, M. J. J., & Restifo, K. (2009). Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Community Mental Health Journal, 45(6), 485–496. doi:10.1007/s10597-009-9248-x.
Lysaker, P. H., Wilt, M. A., Plascak-Hallberg, C. D., Brenner, C. A., & Clements, C. A. (2003). Personality dimensions in schizophrenia: Associations with symptoms and coping. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 191(2), 80–86. doi:10.1097/00005053-200302000-00003.
Macdonald, E. M., Jackson, H. J., Hayes, R. L., Baglioni, A. J, Jr, & Madden, C. (1998). Social skill as a determinant of social networks and perceived social support in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 29(3), 275–286. doi:10.1016/s0920-9964(97)00096-0.
Meyer, B. (2001). Coping with severe mental illness: Relations of the Brief COPE with symptoms, functioning, and well-being. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 23(4), 265–277. doi:10.1023/a:1012731520781.
Mueser, K. T., Goodman, L. B., Trumbetta, S. L., Rosenberg, S. D., Osher, C., Vidaver, R., & Foy, D. W. (1998). Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder in severe mental illness. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(3), 493–499.
Mueser, K. T., Rosenberg, S. D., Fox, L., Salyers, M. P., Ford, J. D., & Carty, P. (2001). Psychometric evaluation of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder assessments in persons with severe mental illness. Psychological Assessment, 13(1), 110–117. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.13.1.110.
Mueser, K. T., Rosenberg, S. D., Goodman, L. A., & Trumbetta, S. L. (2002). Trauma, PTSD, and the course of severe mental illness: An interactive model. Schizophrenia Research, 53(1–2), 123–143. doi:10.1016/s0920-9964(01)00173-6.
Mueser, K. T., Rosenberg, S. D., Hamblen, J. L., & Decamps, M. (2004). A cognitive-behavioral treatment program for posttraumatic stress disorder in persons with severe mental illness. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 7, 107–146. doi:10.1080/1587760490476183.
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2011). What is mental illness: Mental illness facts, from http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Inform_Yourself/About_Mental_Illness/About_Mental_Illness.htm
O’Hare, T., Sherrer, M. V., & Shen, C. (2006). Subjective distress from stressful events and high-risk behaviors as predictors of PTSD symptom severity in clients with severe mental illness. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 19(3), 375–386. doi:10.1002/jts.20131.
Peck, M. C., & Scheffler, R. M. (2002). An analysis of the definitions of mental illness used in state parity laws. Psychiatric Services, 53(9), 1089–1095. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.53.9.1089.
Phillips, L. J., Francey, S. M., Edwards, J., & McMurray, N. (2009). Strategies used by psychotic individuals to cope with life stress and symptoms of illness: A systematic review. Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal, 22(4), 371–410. doi:10.1080/10615800902811065.
Pineles, S. L., Mostoufi, S. M., Ready, C. B., Street, A. E., Griffin, M. G., & Resick, P. A. (2011). Trauma reactivity, avoidant coping, and PTSD symptoms: A moderating relationship? Journal of Abnormal Psychology,. doi:10.1037/a0022123.
Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2004). SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments & Computers, 36(4), 717–731. doi:10.3758/bf03206553.
Ruggiero, K. J., Del Ben, K., Scotti, J. R., & Rabalais, A. E. (2003). Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist—Civilian version. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 16(5), 495–502. doi:10.1023/a:1025714729117.
Sabina, C., & Tindale, R. S. (2008). Abuse characteristics and coping resources as predictors of problem-focused coping strategies among battered women. Violence Against Women, 14(4), 437–456. doi:10.1177/1077801208314831.
Schnider, K. R., Elhai, J. D., & Gray, M. J. (2007). Coping style use predicts posttraumatic stress and complicated grief symptom severity among college students reporting a traumatic loss. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 54(3), 344–350. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.54.3.344.
Schuettler, D., & Boals, A. (2011). The path to posttraumatic growth versus posttraumatic stress disorder: Contributions of event centrality and coping. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 16(2), 180–194. doi:10.1080/15325024.2010.519273.
Shelton, K. H., Taylor, P. J., Bonner, A., & van den Bree, M. (2009). Risk factors for homelessness: Evidence from a population-based study. Psychiatric Services, 60(4), 465–472. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.60.4.465.
So, S. H. W., & Wong, C. W. (2008). Experience and coping with auditory hallucinations in first-episode psychosis: Relationship with stress coping. Hong Kong Journal of Psychiatry, 18(3), 115–121.
Subica, A. M., Claypoole, K. H., & Wylie, A. M. (2012). PTSD’S mediation of the relationships between trauma, depression, substance abuse, mental health, and physical health in individuals with severe mental illness: Evaluating a comprehensive model. Schizophrenia Research, 136(1–3), 104–109. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2011.10.018.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2010). The National Center for Trauma Informed Care. Retrieved November 3, 2010, from http://www.samhsa.gov/nctic/
Teplin, L. A., McClelland, G. M., Abram, K. M., & Weiner, D. A. (2005). Crime victimization in Adults with severe mental illness: Comparison with the national crime victimization survey. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(8), 911–921. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.8.911.
Vogel, M., Spitzer, C., Barnow, S., Freyberger, H. J., & Grabe, H Jr. (2006). The role of trauma and PTSD-related symptoms for dissociation and psychopathological distress in inpatients with schizophrenia. Psychopathology, 39(5), 236–242. doi:10.1159/000093924.
Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., Herman, D. S., Huska, J. A., & Keane, T. M. (1993). The PTSD Checklist (PCL): Reliability, validity, and diagnostic utility. Paper presented at the 9th annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, San Antonio, TX.
Whelan, P. J. P., Oleszek, J., Macdonald, A., & Gaughran, F. (2009). The utility of the mini-mental state examination in guiding assessment of capacity to consent to research. International Psychogeriatrics, 21(2), 338–344. doi:10.1017/s1041610208008314.
Yanos, P. T., Knight, E. L., & Bremer, L. (2003). A new measure of coping with symptoms for use with persons diagnosed with severe mental illness. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 27(2), 168–176. doi:10.2975/27.2003.168.176.
Yanos, P. T., West, M. L., & Smith, S. M. (2010). Coping, productive time use, and negative mood among adults with severe mental illness: A daily diary study. Schizophrenia Research, 124(1–3), 54–59. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2010.08.020.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge Jared Israel, M.A. and Micah Casey, B.A. for their role in the collection of data used in the current investigation. We also thank Tony Hilkin and the Places for People Outreach Team for their selfless commitment to supporting those most in need.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McNeill, S.A., Galovski, T.E. Coping Styles Among Individuals with Severe Mental Illness and Comorbid PTSD. Community Ment Health J 51, 663–673 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-015-9887-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-015-9887-z