Biomedical and Clinical Markers, Illness Perceptions, Coping, Benefit Finding, Adjustment, and Treatment Outcomes in Hepatitis C: A Self-Regulatory, Biopsychosocial Model.

Abstract

Study 1.1 investigated whether illness perceptions, adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies, and benefit finding predicted physical and psychosocial adjustment in individuals diagnosed with hepatitis C virus (HCV) within an expanded self-regulatory model of illness (SRM). Study 1.1 also determined whether coping strategies and benefit finding mediated the relationship between illness perceptions and physical and psychosocial adjustment outcomes. Study 1.2 assessed whether coping strategies independently accounted for variance in adjustment and the role of illness perceptions in predicting adjustment after controlling for coping strategies. Study 2.1 investigated whether illness perceptions and adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies predicted Hepatitis C (HCV) treatment outcomes after controlling for clinical, behavioural and demographic markers relevant to HCV. Study 2.2 assessed whether benefit finding predicted HCV treatment response after controlling for treatment control, substance use and mental health. Study 2.3 investigated whether physical (physical health) and psychosocial adjustment (depression, life satisfaction, and positive affect) predicted HCV treatment response after controlling for substance use and mental health comorbidity. The cross-sectional studies reported in the present thesis demonstrate an important role for adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies in the prediction of physical and psychosocial adjustment among individuals with HCV, regardless of their order of entry into SRM predictive models. In the longitudinal studies, the results demonstrate the important role of illness perceptions related to treatment control in predicting HCV treatment response, and provided support for including HCV pre-treatment psychological interventions to address maladaptive illness perceptions for individuals preparing for HCV treatment. Importantly, the results reported in Study 2.3 provided support for the assessment of depression for individuals preparing for HCV treatment.

Date of Award	17 Feb 2017
Original language	English
Supervisor	Mark Edwards (Supervisor) & Michael Lyvers (Supervisor)