“Coping” represents the cognitive and behavioral efforts an individual makes to manage a situation appraised as stressful, distressing, or overwhelming.
Effective coping can mean a significant difference to quality of life and illness experience for both patients and their families. How can we as physicians support coping? And is there such a thing as “bad” ways to cope.
Coping can take many forms, which can vary depending on the patient or caregiver’s illness experience in the context of pre-existing coping strategies and support systems. What I found incredibly helpful to learn about was the concept of “adaptive” vs “maladaptive” coping. Does the patient’s coping strategy, whether it be denial or humor or intellectualization, support the patient in the given moment with their goals, their psychological integrity, and the medical care that we recommend to them? Recognition of this concept allows us to mindfully lean into or away from different coping strategies that patients exhibit, without dismantling or jeopardizing their psychological safety mechanisms. Through this work, we can foster resilience in patients and their families.