Stress and coping in multiple sclerosis: exacerbation, remission and chronic subgroups.

Individuals with multiple sclerosis were asked to identify stressors they had experienced over a 6-month period and the coping mechanisms employed to deal with those stressors. Subjects who reported currently experiencing an exacerbation of symptoms were compared with those in remission or in the chronic phase of their illness. Of the 61 subjects who completed the Hassles Scale, Uplifts Scale, and Ways of Coping, those classified as being in an exacerbation phase of MS were found to have significantly higher hassles scores than those in the chronic phase. A significant difference was also found in terms of a factor labeled 'passive avoidant and aggressive coping' derived through a factor analysis of the Ways of Coping subscales. Subjects in the exacerbation subgroup had higher scores on this coping factor than those in the chronic subgroup. The difference in hassles scores remained significant after between-group differences in length of illness and reported number of symptoms were controlled through an analysis of covariance, although the difference in coping fell short of significance in this covariance analysis.