Coping Mechanisms Used by Women with Major Depression

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to compare women with major depression against their matched healthy controls
about their coping mechanisms and the severity of their symptom condition.
Method: This cross-sectional hospital-based survey recruited 37 women with major depression and 40
non-depressed women as healthy controls. Simple random sampling was used to select the participants.
Data was collected by using self-reported tools. Descriptive statistics and interpretative analysis of data was
performed by using independent-samples t-test, ANOVA, and post hoc Tukey HSD multiple comparison
tests to find out the accurate differences between levels of depression.
The results show that women who used more self-blame, rumination bordering on to brooding, and less
positive reframing had higher levels of depressive symptoms. Among the positive coping mechanisms, it
was noted that in the clinical sample used instrumental and emotional supports. With regard to negative
strategies for coping depression, self-blame, self-distraction, denial and venting were common. The use or
non-use of a given coping mechanisms varied with the severity of depression.
Conclusion: The study concludes that women with major depression use qualitatively different coping
mechanisms for coping depression than healthy controls. This has implications for planning psychotherapeutic
programs for the affected women.