| Learning Objective #1: Discuss why some women with trichotillomania are better able to live and cope with this chronic disorder | |||
| Learning Objective #2: State clinical symptoms that can be used to identify women who live and cope with trichotillomania |
Purpose: To reveal how women with trichotillomania (TTM) live and cope with this chronic disorder. The concept of hardiness, specifically the characteristic of control and related dimensions, is often found in the voices of women living and coping with TTM.
Design and methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 44 women with TTM from 21 states and Canada. The participants were invited to describe in their own words how they live and cope with TTM within the context of their life histories. The data were subjected to content analysis and quantified for presentation. Checks were instituted to establish reliability of the content analysis using the criteria of reproducibility and stability.
Findings: Women who successfully live and cope with TTM exhibit an ability to choose among various courses of action to handle stress. They also possess an ability to interpret, appraise, and incorporate stressful events into an ongoing life plan thus lessening their impact as well as a repertory of coping skills for responding to stress.
Conclusions & implications: Within the concept of control as defined by the classic work of Kobasa & Maddi, three dimensions emerged in the statements of the women who were able to most successfully cope with this secretive disorder: l.) decisional control; 2.) cognitive control; and 3.) coping skill. These findings have nursing implications for studying, diagnosing and treating adult adaptation to chronic illness as related to dimensions of hardiness.