Safaa Mohammed Zaki^1,, Fatma Nagy Kotb¹, Amany Antar Mohammed¹

Leprosy is a chronic disease that causes physical disability as boy parts deformities and nerve damage. Stigma and associated psychosocial problems are common among leprotic patients and may increase the risk of mental disorders. Stigmatization by general population and their negative attitudes towards leprosy negatively impacts on patient's self-esteem and coping strategies. Aim of the study: to investigate the relationship between self-esteem and coping strategies of patients with leprosy. Research Design: A descriptive correlational research design was utilized in this study. A convenience sample consisted of 30 leper patients were participated in the study. Data collection started from July to December 2017. This study was conducted in Minia leprosy clinic, this hospital is affiliated to ministry of health. It services Minia governorate and it's distinct. Data collection: Personal data questionnaires, coping strategy scale Carver [1] and Self-esteem scale Sorensen [2]. Results: The findings of the present study revealed that, the majority of patients have a severely low level of self-esteem 23 (71.9%), most of the sample are unable to use effective coping strategies (81.3%). In addition there were statistically significant positive correlation between self-esteem and coping strategies (r=.693 p.000).