When matched for norm values, the patients used significantly more optimistic and confrontational coping and less emotive coping.
Patients with SHR experienced a lower HRQOL, and used more optimistic and confrontational coping, compared with normative data.
Women used optimistic coping more than men.
Compared with the normative group, patients with SHR used confrontational and optimistic coping more and emotive coping less.
Women used optimistic coping significantly more than men.
This is in line with the results of Lindqvist et al., who found that people with kidney transplants used optimistic coping significantly more and emotive coping significantly less often than the general population [ 41].
Similarly, there were somewhat weak but statistically significant relationships between symptoms of depression and less use of normalising optimistic coping (coefficient: -1.41, <0.001), and more use of combined emotive coping (coefficient: 1.40, p < 0.001).
"People who are more optimistic generally get better sleep, exercise more, and have healthier coping habits to reduce stress," he said.
The question remains whether an optimistic coping style, better mental functioning, and social engagements result in more sense of purpose in life or that purpose in life should rather be considered as a personality trait, with more sense of purpose in life leading to better mental and social functioning and employing more constructive coping strategies.
Symptoms of angina pectoris (AFS) (coefficient: 0.02, p < 0.001) and anxiety (coefficient: -0.07, p < 0.001), and use of normalising optimistic coping (coefficient: -0.01, p = 0.032), were significantly related to more burden, while physical function (ECS) and use of confrontive coping were significantly related to less burden.
