Comparison of Coping Strategies in Pharmacological Treatment Non-Responder Adolescents with Different Psychiatric Disorders

Objective: Coping mechanisms are important responses to stress, and although they differ in psychiatric disorders, maladaptive ones are mostly used. This study aimed to compare coping strategies in adolescents diagnosed with anxiety disorder (AD), major depressive disorder (MDD), adjustment disorder (AjD), and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who did not respond to medical treatment. Methods: Thirty adolescents with AD, 22 patients with MDD, 25 adolescents with AjD, and 21 ADHD patients between the ages of 12-18 who were non-responders to appropriate duration and dose of pharmacological treatment, and 34 healthy controls (HC), were included in the study and completed the Brief COPE. Patients who scored >2 on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale were defined as treatment non-responders. Results: Using instrumental social support scores were significantly lower in the MDD group compared to ADHD, AjD and HC groups. Positive reframing scores in the MDD group were found to be significantly lower than patients in the ADHD group. Planning scores were significantly lower in MDD group than patients with ADHD and HC. On the contrary, substance use scores in the MDD group were significantly higher than in the AD group. There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of turning to religion scores, but no significance was found in the post-hoc analysis. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of other coping strategies. Conclusion: In this study, treatment non-responder adolescents with MDD stand out with inadequate coping mechanisms. Knowing the coping strategies in treatment non-responders can be a guide for appropriate therapy methods and interventions.