Comparison of Coping Strategies between Men and Women Care Givers of Neurologic Patients at Home.

Neurologic patient's care givers are faced with many challenges and stresses, affecting on their health if they cope with an inappropriate style. The awareness of the care givers about coping strategies is necessary to prevent from their psychological problems, therefore; the present study was conducted to determine the coping strategies of men and women care givers of Neurologic patients at home. This descriptive-Analytical study was conducted on 200 subjects selected by convenience sampling method. The instrument was Jawiloice coping strategy scale­ having two dimensions of problem-focused­ part (15 ­questions) and emotion-focused (24 questions). The data analysis was performed using estimates of central tendency, Chi-Square, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney test and Anova (P<0.05) by spss 16. The participants were men (N=120) and women (N=80). The problem-focused subscale in men is 51.86 ± 6.3 and in women 52.86 ± 7.63, whereas in emotional-focused the result is 72.86 ± 13.89 in men and 69.68 ± 11.65 in women. In latter dimension, the difference is not statistically significant. ­In problem-focused between men and women, the difference is significant (p≤0.05). Considering coping levels to low, moderate, and high, there is no meaningful difference between males and females. Duration of involvement with patients is significantly correlated with emotional-focused (p≤ 0.05) and income status with problem-focused (p≤ 0.03). According to the findings, the care givers must be educated about effective coping strategies skills to decrease stresses due to care of the patients and to improve mental health.