EVALUATION OF COPING STRATEGIES IN STUDENTS WITH PERSONALITY TYPE D

Introduction. Personality type D in cardiac patients is associated with poor quality of life and poor prognosis. Since these personal characteristics are stable under dynamic observation, the question arises - are there other points of application for behavioral influences? Therefore, the aim of this study was to study the choice of coping strategies and coping intensity in young healthy individuals with personality type D.

Material and methods. The study included 98 students of the medical faculty of KemGMU, 68 girls and 30 boys aged 18 to 23 years (19.1 ± 2.0 years). All surveyed people filled out psychological questionnaires to identify personality type D (DS-14) and the choice of coping strategies (“Ways of Coping Questionnaire” and “Coping Strategy Indication”).

Results. Two groups were distinguished: with the presence of personality type D (n=44) and without it (n=54). In students with type D, the mean scores on the NA and SI scales were higher than in students without type D (p<0.001 in both cases). Individuals with personality type D had higher scores on the scales "Escape-avoidance" (p<0.001), "Take responsibility" (p=0.009), "Distancing" (p=0.05) of the WSQ questionnaire and "Avoidance strategy" ( p=0.007) of the CSI questionnaire. Students with type D are characterized by a pronounced preference for the "Escape-Avoidance" strategy (p<0.001). According to univariate logistic regression analysis, a 1-point increase in values on the Escape-Avoidance scale increased the chance of identifying personality type D by 1.15 times (95% CI 1.07–1.23; p<0.001). On the contrary, an increase in scores on the “Positive reassessment” scale reduced the likelihood of identifying personality type D (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.86-0.98; p=0.005). The ROC-analysis showed that the identified association of the Escape-Avoidance coping strategy with personality type D has rather high values (AUC=0.779; 95% CI 0.688-0.870).

Conclusion. Healthy medical students with personality type D have a preponderance of inadequate coping strategies. In logistic regression analysis, the independent strategies associated with personality type D are the "Escape-avoidance" strategy, and with the type of non-D - the "Positive reappraisal" strategy. These studies can serve as a basis for the development of behavioral influences in individuals with personality type D.