Whiplash-associated disorders – predicting disability from a process-oriented perspective of coping

Abstract

Objective: To describe the coping process over time for patients with whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). Design: The study was conducted by following patients prospectively for 12 months. Settings: The orthopaedic clinic at a university hospital. Subjects: Fifty-three patients out of 59 had complete data-sets. Main outcome measures: Two measures were used: the Pain Disability Index (PDI) and the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ). Results: The results showed that the proportion of variance in disability shared with coping increased over time. Conclusion: The importance of coping as an explanatory factor for disability increased during the one year follow-up. Thus, coping has a crucial role for disability. The possibility of a positive long-term outcome could therefore be improved by teaching patients to use active and adaptive coping strategies shortly after an accident.