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Religious Coping in Caregiver of Patients with Acquired Brain Injuries

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Abstract

Caregivers play a crucial role in physical and psychological management in terms of assistance. For this reason, it is important for caregivers to find better coping strategies to minimize a possible physical and emotional burden. The aim of our study is to demonstrate how the religious coping can influence the burden of caregivers about health care of patients with severe brain injuries. Caregivers were, respectively, divided into two groups: 31 religious believers and 20 unbelievers. We submitted the questionnaires to participants, which investigate the caregiver burden, presence of depressive symptoms and kind of coping strategies adopted. Our results demonstrated that participants with religious belief used avoidance strategies more frequently compared to non-believers’ group. We want to improve adaptive coping strategies to upgrade the awareness of caregiver, supporting burden and distress. A problem-solving training might improve quality of life in terms of social and psychological wellness.

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Correspondence to Francesco Corallo.

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Psychologist/Psychotherapist researcher at the IRCCS Neurolesi Centre Bonino Pulejo since 10 years, operating in the field of severe acquired cerebral lesions. The intervention is carried out both on patients and on their caregivers. Most of the publications and scientific activity concern the approach and interaction of caregivers in relation to cerebral lesions patients, investigating the quality of life and coping style and the possible variables influencing these constructs.

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Corallo, F., Bonanno, L., Formica, C. et al. Religious Coping in Caregiver of Patients with Acquired Brain Injuries. J Relig Health 58, 1444–1452 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00840-8

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