What is the Relationship Between Quality of Life and Coping Strategies of Adults with Celiac Disease Adhering to a Gluten Free Diet?

Until recently, celiac disease was thought to be rare in the United States. However over the past ten years, the reported prevalence has increased from 1 in 4600 persons to 1 in 133 persons. The latest estimate makes the prevalence comparable to the prevalence in Europe, where the disease is considered to be common.</p><p> Celiac disease is a chronic illness occurring in genetically susceptible persons resulting in inflammatory changes in the upper small bowel as a consequence of intolerance to the gliadin in ingested wheat, rye, and barley. Fortunately, celiac disease can be effectively managed by strict adherence to a gluten free diet. However, dietary management can be quite challenging. </p><p> The present descriptive, correlational research study included 156 adults self-reporting a diagnosis of celiac disease. The purpose of this study was to examine factors and perceived causes that interfere with adherence to a gluten free diet, to identify coping strategies, and to examine the relationship between coping strategies and quality of life. The theoretical framework was a combination of two theoretical models: 1) Lazarus model of stress and 2) the model of behavioral self-regulation by Carver and Sheier. Instruments used were the Demographic Information and Health and Diet History Questionnaire, the Psychological General Well-Being Index, and the Brief COPE. </p><p> Results from the study indicated that problems outside the home, especially in restaurants and the expense of gluten free foods are factors that interfere with dietary adherence. A moderate negative relationship was found between quality of life and stress with 54 percent of participants reporting a minimal amount of stress. Emotion focused coping was found to have a negative effect on quality of life. </p><p> Recommendations based on research findings suggest further investigation of the negative relationship between quality of life and stress with a more controlled sample. Nurses can also investigate the use of cognitive-behavioral interventions to decrease the negative effects of emotion focused coping.

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Immediate Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nursing

Year dc:date.available

2009

Author dc:creator

• Smith, Melissa

Contributors dc:contributor

• Linda Goodfellow
• Luann Richardson
• Michael M. Van Ness

• celiac disease
• gluten free
• coping
• stress
• quality of life

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1214

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dsc.duq.edu:etd-2230