Predictors of psychosocial adaptation and mental well-being among people with chronic illnesses and disabilities in Hong Kong

Abstract

Psychosocial adaptation to chronic illness and disability (CID) involves a complex interplay of the client’s background factors with resilience and coping. To date, there have been few studies on psychosocial adaptation to CID in the Chinese context. To examine the predictors of psychosocial adaptation, we surveyed people with CID from community-rehabilitation settings and self-help groups (N = 224). The research questionnaire collected information on demographics, health-related factors, social support, resilience, coping strategies, psychosocial adaptation, and mental well-being. Resilience, coping strategies, health-related factors, and sex were found to be important predictors of psychosocial adaptation. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we tested a conceptual model on how social support and health-related factors predict adjustment variables (resilience and coping strategies), which further affect psychosocial adaptation and mental well-being. All the variables are closely linked and the path coefficients are all significant. An overall fair model fit (comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.89; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.089) was obtained. The results provide support for the conceptual model we proposed based on health-related coping and the phase model of psychosocial adaptation. The key predictors of psychosocial adaptation and mental well-being in Chinese people with CID in Hong Kong are similar to those identified in non-Chinese studies.