The authors investigated the psychological impact of chronic viral B hepatitis on the patients. Ninety-four patients and 100 normal controls who had visited the Health Promotion Center participated in the study. The authors used SCL-90-R for the
measurement of psychiatric symptoms, GARS(Global Assessment of Recent Stress Scale) for the measurement of stress perception, and the Weisman Coping Strategy Scale for measuring coping ability and efficacies. The results of subjective psychiatric
symptoms, stress perception and coping strategy were compared between patient group and control group. To reveal the psychological aspect of infectivity on patients, those scales were compared between 56 HBeAg positive group and 38 negative
group.
@ES The following results were obtained:
@EN 1) The subscale scores of psychoticism, depression, anxiety and positive symptom distress index(PSDI) in chronic viral B hepatitis patients was significantly higher than in control group. The subscale scores of sickness or injury stress
perception
and financial stress perception in chronic viral B hepatitis patients group was significantly higher than in control group. Patient group used more passive and inflexible coping strategy than control group.
2) No significant difference in stress perception and coping strategy were found between HBeAg positive group and negative group. But the coping strategy of confrontation and 'flexibility' were used more frequently in HBeAg negative group than
in
positive group.
3) HBeAg positive patients showed less active coping style than HBeAg negative patients in problem-solving.
We suggest that chronic viral B hepatitis patients may show inactive, ineffective coping strategy compared to normal controls.
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