Psychological distress, social support and coping behaviour among polio survivors: a 5-year perspective on 63 polio patients

The aim of the study was to seek knowledge of psychological and psychosocial aspects of coping with late effects of polio. Sixty-three polio survivors, 43 women and 20 men (mean age 55.3 years) 3-5 years ago former inpatients at the Post-Polio Program at Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, participated in the study. In addition to a semi-structured interview-guide, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD), the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), Cope-Scale, Brief Type-A Questionnaire (BTAQ) and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) were used. As a measure of physical status, we used working capacity defined as peak O2 (oxygen) uptake. Levels of working capacity did not correlate significantly with any psychological variables, and the subjects reporting improved psychological health over the last 3-5 years did not have higher levels of working capacity or less physical decrement. A significant correlation was found between self-reported fatigue. psychological variables and social support. Compared to previous studies, low psychological distress, normal type-A scores, high adjustment and problem-focused coping characterized the respondents, pointing to the importance of timing in psychosocial research of post-polio.