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Rational: Our aim was to investigate the quality of life (QoL) in 103 patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis (HD) in an integrated assessment of clinical, personological, and adaptation parameters, also in a non-urban context., Objectives: We collected data from all chronic HD patients attending four HD units. Clinical status was assessed by Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) guidelines and by Age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (ACCI). Patients completed the following questionnaires: Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Personality profile and coping style were assessed by Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) revised and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situation (CISS). Data were analyzed by conventional descriptive statistics. Multiple forward stepwise linear regression analyses were performed., Main Findings: Variables significantly associated with physical and mental components of KDQOL-SF were: intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) (p = .004; p = .0015), typology of cohabitant (family member or not) (p = .022; p = .007), years of dialysis (p = .022; p = .048). Variables associated with mental component of KDQOL-SF were: PSQI (p = .000), task-coping (p = .000), avoidance-coping (p = .003), work status (p = .021). Principle conclusions: Our results suggest the importance of an integrated and multidirectional management of patients chronically undergoing HD and living in a non-urban context.

Background: Unemployment is a very stressful experience that significantly impairs an individual's perception of their overall wellbeing. Interaction between unemployment and physical health is complex., Objective: To analyze how specific coping strategies and socio-demographic variables may influence the level of physical and mental health perceived by those searching for work at an employment centre in Catanzaro, Italy., Methods: Participants completed a set of self-administrated questionnaires including a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) and the SF-12 Health Survey (SF-12). A forward stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to ascertain those coping strategies significantly associated with participants' perceived health status., Results: Complete documentation was received from 113 registered unemployed participants, (61 men and 52 women) giving a response rate of 45% .Physical health status was significantly and positively associated with age and task-oriented coping, while the perception of mental health was associated not only with age, but also by lower emotion-oriented coping and a low number of previous job losses., Conclusion: The perception of health status is reduced among unemployed. Age is the only socio demographic variable that influences the perception of health status. Adaptive Task-oriented coping strategies are related to better physical health perception, whereas Emotion-oriented coping makes people prone to poorer mental health perception.

Objective: Affective symptoms have adverse effects in hospital and long-term cardiac outcomes of post Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) patients. This study aims to identify personality traits and maladaptive coping strategies that could predict affective symptoms in early post-ACS patients., Methods: Seventy patients undergoing revascularization procedures were examined within a week after their admission by means of the Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale. Personality was analyzed through the Type D Personality Scale and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situation. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent predictors of anxiety and depressed mood., Results: A high rate of depressive and anxious symptoms was found and 76% of patients resulted Type D personality. Depression was associated with b-blocker therapy, Type D personality, and specific coping strategies. Unmarried status, low education, unstable angina, Type D personality, emotion, and avoidance oriented coping independently predicted anxiety., Conclusion: These findings underlie the importance of assessment for Type D personality and coping strategies that could be useful to identify post-ACS patients at higher risk for affective symptoms. Using these brief instruments, as sensitive screening measures, we investigated the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in patients with ACS, we identified personality traits and coping strategies used to manage stress and estimated independent predictors of affectivity disorders after ACS.