ATTITUDE TO DISEASES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF PERSONS WITH CHRONIC SOMATIC DISEASES

Abstract

The purpose of this article is theoretical and empirical study of the features of the relationship between the attitude to a disease and the psychological well-being of persons with chronic somatic disease.

Methods. We have used three psychodiagnostic questionnaires for the research: the illness cognition questionnaire (ICQ) (A. Evers F. Kraaimaat, adaptation by N. Sirota and D. Moskovchenko), Ryff’s scales of psychological well-being (adaptation by M. Lepeshinskyy), the social and psychological adaptation questionnaire (C. Rogers and R. Diamond, adaptation by O. Osnitskyy). Methods of processing empirical data were: Pearson’s correlation analysis, cluster analysis, discriminant analysis and Student’s t-test.

Results. 50 people with multiple sclerosis participated in the study. Positive correlations have been identified between disease acceptance, psychological well-being of these persons and its components (positive relations, autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, self-acceptance). Negative correlations have been proved to exist between the feelings helplessness due to disease and their psychological well-being, including its components such as autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, self-acceptance. Positive correlations were identified between the tendency of these persons to positively overestimate the importance of the disease and their psychological well-being, including its components such as environmental mastery, personal growth, self-acceptance. Certain differences were identified in the indicators of psychological well-being of persons with different attitude to their chronic somatic disease.

Conclusions. It has been found that attitude to the disease is an important factor of person’s psychological well-being in case of chronic somatic disease. Persons who have a positive idea about their disease, accept it, realistically perceive the problems and limitations associated with the disease, see opportunities for personal growth have a higher level of psychological well-being and adaptability than those who focus on the negative aspects of the disease, treat it as a source of problems, limitations, subjectively burdensome feelings.