27th National Clinical Education Symposium Presentation Abstracts
29 APRIL 2025, TUESDAY
14:00-15:15 ORAL PRESENTATION SESSION - 7
Investigation of Stress, Anxiety and Coping Strategies in Patients with Vertigo
Mehmet Akif Dündar1, Fatmanur Akgün Kılavuz2, Hasan Bakay2, Mehmet Ak2
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Show more (Affiliations)
1. Necmettin Erbakan University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Otorhinolaringology, Konya, Turkey
2. Necmettin Erbakan University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Konya, Turkey
DOI: 10.5080/kes27.abs67 Page 91
BACKGROUND AND AIM:Vertigo, defined as a feeling of dizziness and imbalance, is a symptom that can significantly affect an individual's quality of life. It is known that patients with vertigo may also suffer from various psychological problems. The aim of this study was to investigate perceived stress, anxiety levels and coping strategies in patients with vertigo.
METHODS (Ethics Committee Approval must be obtained and the number should be specified.):The study included 270 patients who applied to Necmettin Erbakan University (NEU) otorhinolaryngology outpatient clinic with vertigo symptoms and 73 healthy controls. The participants were administered sociodemographic data form, perceived stress scale (PSS), state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI), ways of coping inventory (WCI) and anxiety sensitivity index (ASI). Ethical approval was obtained from NEU Ethics Committee (204-2024/5201).
RESULTS:Compared to the control group, trait-anxiety (48.87±7.06 p=0.003), ASI (25.58±15.7 p<0.001), optimistic coping (14.89±2.58 p=0.003), confident coping (22.15±3.48 p<0. 001), helpless coping (19.1±4.56 p=0.039), submissive coping (14.18±3.23 p<0.001), problem-focused coping (48.62±6.34 p<0.001) and emotion-focused coping (33.31±6.68 p=0.004) scores were significantly higher in patients with vertigo. Medication use was 56.3% among the patients. In the patient group, there were positive correlations between PSS and trait-anxiety score (r=0.200 p<0.001), emotion-focused coping score (r=0.348 p<0.001) and ADI (r=0.372 p<0.001). There was a negative correlation between PSS and problem-focused coping score (r=-0.164 p=0.007). A strong positive correlation was also demonstrated between the emotion-focused coping score and the trait-anxiety score (r=0.443 p<0.001) and the ASI score (r=0.505 p<0.001). Regression analyses revealed that being married predicted emotional coping mechanisms in the patient group (ExpB=1.079 p=0.014).
CONCLUSIONS:Anxiety sensitivity and anxiety symptoms have been shown to be high in patients with vertigo. Perceived stress was associated with anxiety and maladaptive coping strategies. Addressing psychological factors is of great importance in managing treatment and improving the quality of life of individuals with vertigo.