Neuronal Correlates of Maladaptive Coping: An EEG-Study in Tinnitus Patients

[daedalus]

http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0088253

Very interesting paper on the roles of attitudes facing tinnitus and the neurology behind it.

We differentiate between maladaptive, active and passive coping behavior. While maladaptive coping behavior involves focusing on negative mood, venting feelings and catastrophizing about the consequences of tinnitus, active coping behavior involves the use of a broad range of adaptive coping mechanisms. Active coping strategies are either behavioral or psychological responses designed to change the nature of the stressor itself or how one thinks about it. Passive coping behavior involves attempts to avoid tinnitus by masking the noises using background sounds and tinnitus maskers.

The tinnitus patients using a maladaptive coping style are characterized by increased scores on the depression scale, tinnitus questionnaire, and experienced their tinnitus as louder and more distressing in comparison to tinnitus patients using an adaptive coping style. This fits with previous results that showed that a maladaptive coping style is linked with increased depression [43]. It is possible that tinnitus patients suffering from depression are not able to use adaptive coping styles or, vice versa, the inability to use adaptive coping could lead to depression. It is known that depressive patients use maladaptive coping styles more frequently in comparison to healthy subjects [44]. These encompass rumination about negative affect, catastrophizing and self-blame in response to negative events. However, further longitudinal research is needed to have a better understanding on how coping styles relate to coping with tinnitus and its relationship with depression.

Read the whole paper.

 

[Sound Wave]

Thanks for sharing. This totally makes sense.