DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2021.v09i12.009

Pages: 1813-1833

Introduction: Bipolar Affective disorders make up an important category of psychiatric illness. These patients encounter significant life adversity, which has contributed to these being one of the leading causes of disability. Emotional Intelligence is the ability of an individual to understand one’s own and other’s emotions and feelings and use this knowledge in coping with situations. Coping abilities of individuals determine the vulnerability to stressful life events, which is an important factor influencing the risk for relapse. Ways of coping are an individual’s overt and covert behaviors which are employed to reduce or eliminate psychological distress or stressful condition. Yet research on which coping strategies are most influencing disability, in such patients and their comparison between male and female patients is very scarce. Aim & Objectives of Study: Gender difference in emotional intelligence and coping strategies in persons with bipolar depressive disorders. Materials & Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted on stable patients who came for follow-up in Psychiatry OPD of DMC&H, Ludhiana. A total of 150 subjects were included. The sample was divided into 3 groups: Females with Bipolar depression (n=50), Males with Bipolar Depression (n=50), Healthy controls (n=50), age matched. The subjects were evaluated on their symptoms via HAM-D scale and their coping strategies by using the Brief Cope Questionnaire. Result: All the subjects were equally divided in terms of genders. Females scored higher on HAM-D than males. Females used emotion focused coping strategies significantly whereas males used problem focused coping strategies. It was also seen that females score higher on emotional intelligence than males. Conclusion: Our study showed females had significant association with the use of emotion focused coping strategies and males showed significant association with problem focused coping strategies. It was also seen that females score .........