THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT IN PREDICTING QUALITY OF LIFE IN IRANIAN FEMALE WITH ULCERATIVE COLITIS

Adjustment to chronic disease can help the patients deal with profound changes resulting from illness. Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is challenging among chronic diseases and little know about the role of psychological adjustment of the patients to it. The aims of this study were to identify determinants of psychological adjustment in UC patients, to examine its mediational role and the role of other predictors in predicting quality of life (QOL). Participants were 58 female UC patients and 58 normal subjects. All participants completed a set of questionnaires including Hospital Depression and Anxiety scale, Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, Perceived Stress Scale, WHO QOL questionnaire, NEO-Five Factor Inventory, Brief Illness Perception questionnaire and Lichtiger Colitis Activity Index. Psychological adjustment was measured as a composite of depression, anxiety, perceived stress, neuroticism, and emotionfocused coping strategies. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS and Amos software conducting independent T-test and path analysis. The difference between psychological adjustment of UC patients and normal subjects was significant. In the final model, the mediating role of psychological adjustment was confirmed and among other variables, cognitive representation of illness was found to be the strongest predictor of QOL. The results accentuate on the importance of psychological adjustment in dealing with ulcerative colitis and on helping to better understanding of the illness perceptions and developing appropriate complementary interventions for these patients.