Coping Mechanisms of Survivors of Healthcare Adversities: Bases for Community-based Psychoeducation Management Plan

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the coping mechanisms of Filipino adults who survived healthcare adversities and used the findings as basis for a community-based psychoeducation management plan. Healthcare adversities included serious illness, hospitalization, invasive medical procedures, complicated childbirth, prolonged treatment, financial burden, and distressing healthcare encounters. Data were gathered through online and face-to-face semi-structured interviews with five purposively selected participants who had experienced healthcare adversity within the past five years. Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to identify patterns in the narratives. Findings revealed two major impact themes: psychological distress and psychosocial burden. Psychological distress included anticipatory anxiety, psychological breakdown, emotional vulnerability, and a shattered sense of self, while psychosocial burden included financial and systemic distress, disrupted relationships, and loss of trust and safety in healthcare. Participants used adaptive coping strategies such as social support, spirituality, meaning-making, and active health coping. They also experienced maladaptive coping patterns, including suppression, withdrawal, and negative thinking. The findings indicate that recovery from healthcare adversity requires trauma-informed, culturally responsive, family-centered, and community-based psychosocial support. The proposed psychoeducation management plan emphasizes early mental health intervention, adaptive coping, help-seeking behavior, Filipino cultural values, and accessible support systems.