Investigating the Relationship Between Coping Strategies and Quality of Life Among the Principal Caregivers of Children With Hemophilia

Background and Aim: Hemophilia is among the most prevalent and the most serious coagulation disorders which causes different problems for both the afflicted children and their families. This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between coping strategies and quality of life (QOL )among the principal caregivers of children with hemophilia. Methods: This correlational study was conducted in 2014. All 50 principal caregivers of the children who suffered from hemophilia were recruited through the census method from the Hemophilia Care Center of Valiasr (PBUH) hospital, Birjand, Iran. The data collection tools were a questionnaire for the demographic characteristics of the caregivers as well as the children’s age, the Anisi’s 12item QOL questionnaire, and the Calsbeek 21item Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). The SPSS software (v. 16.0) was employed for data analysis. The data were analyzed through conducting the MannWhitney U, the KruskalWallis, and the Spearman correlation tests as well as the stepwise multiple regression analysis at a significance level of less than 0.05. Results: The QOL total score was inversely correlated with emotionoriented and avoidanceoriented coping strategies (P < 0.05). Moreover, the mean score of male caregivers’ QOL was significantly higher than female caregivers’. In addition, the mean score of problembased coping strategies among the caregivers who aged 40 or younger was significantly higher than those caregivers older than 40 (P < 0.04). However, the relationship of coping strategies and QOL with the other demographic characteristics was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Individuals’ QOL can be improved by educational programs and workshops for revising and improving their coping strategies.