Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Coping with cancer: the role of different sources of psychosocial support and the personality of patients with cancer in (mal)adaptive coping strategies

  • Research
  • Published:
Supportive Care in Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

Cancer is a serious event in a person’s life. However, certain coping strategies in relation to selected social, emotional, and personality factors appear to manage the disease.

Methods

Sources of social support were tested in cancer survivors (N = 696) using hierarchical linear regression. Selected personality variables in terms of sociodemographic, clinical, and emotional factors were used as predictors of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies.

Results

It was found that adaptive coping strategies were more frequent in younger patients, in patients who attended cancer support groups and those with a greater level of optimism. Maladaptive coping was related to the higher level of experience of pain and sadness, neuroticism, and pessimism. The absence of a relapse and the time since the disease had been diagnosed were also important factors in coping with cancer.

Conclusions

The results point to the importance of considering various individual factors in the process of intervention to facilitate adaptive coping and to reduce maladaptive coping.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The data, additional tables, and descriptions that support the findings of this study are openly available in osf repository at osf.io/sdfze/

Code availability

The analytical script can be found at osf.io/sdfze/

References

  1. Aarts JWF, Deckx L, Abbema DL et al (2015) The relation between depression, coping and health locus of control: differences between older and younger patients, with and without cancer. Psychooncology 24:950–957

    Google Scholar 

  2. Boatemaa Benson R, Cobbold B, Opoku Boamah E, et al (2020) Challenges coping strategies and social support among breast cancer patients in Ghana. Adv Publ Health 1:1–11

  3. Bolger N, Zuckerman A (1995) A framework for studying personality in the stress process. J Pers Soc Psychol 69:890–902

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Calderon C, Carmona-Bayonas A, Hernández R et al (2019) Effects of pessimism, depression, fatigue, and pain on functional health-related quality of life in patients with resected non-advanced breast cancer. The Breast 44:108–112

    Google Scholar 

  5. Calderon C, Gomez D, Carmona-Bayonas A et al (2021) Social support, coping strategies and sociodemographic factors in women with breast cancer. Clin Transl Oncol 23:1955–1960

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Carver CS, Lehman JM, Antoni MH (2003) Dispositional pessimism predicts illness-related disruption of social and recreational activities among breast cancer patients. J Pers Soc Psychol 84:813–821

    Google Scholar 

  7. Chen PY, Chang HC (2012) The coping process of patients with cancer. Eur J Oncol Nurs 16:10–16

    Google Scholar 

  8. Cheng CT, Ho SMY, Liu WK et al (2018) Cancer-coping profile predicts long-term psychological functions and quality of life in cancer survivors. Support Care Cancer 27:933–941

    Google Scholar 

  9. Ciardiello F, Adams R, Tabernero J et al (2016) Awareness, understanding, and adoption of precision medicine to deliver personalized treatment for patients with cancer: a multinational survey comparison of physicians and patients. Oncologist 21:292–300

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Czerw AI, Marek E, Deptała A (2015) Use of the mini-MAC scale in the evaluation of mental adjustment to cancer. Współczesna Onkologia 5:414–419

    Google Scholar 

  11. Finck C, Barradas S, Zenger M, Hinz A (2018) Quality of life in breast cancer patients: associations with optimism and social support. Int J Clin Health Psychol 18:27–34

    Google Scholar 

  12. Gori A, Topino E, Sette A, Cramer H (2021) Pathways to post-traumatic growth in cancer patients: moderated mediation and single mediation analyses with resilience, personality, and coping strategies. J Affect Disord 279:692–700

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Gray R, Fitch M, Davis C, Phillips C (1997) A qualitative study of breast cancer self-help groups. Psychooncology 6:279–289

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Halama P, Kohút M, Soto CJ, John O (2020) Slovak adaptation of the big five inventory (BFI-2): psychometric properties and initial validation. Stud Psychol 62:74–87

    Google Scholar 

  15. Heim E, Valach L, Schaffner L (1997) Coping and psychosocial adaptation. Psychosom Med 59:408–418

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Hodges K, Winstanley S (2012) Effects of optimism, social support, fighting spirit, cancer worry and internal health locus of control on positive affect in cancer survivors: a path analysis. Stress Health 28:408–415

    Google Scholar 

  17. Holland KD, Holahan CK (2003) The relation of social support and coping to positive adaptation to breast cancer. Psychol Health 18:15–29

    Google Scholar 

  18. Høybye MT, Dalton SO, Deltour I et al (2010) Effect of Internet peer-support groups on psychosocial adjustment to cancer: a randomised study. Br J Cancer 102:1348–1354

    Google Scholar 

  19. Ieraci V, Bovero A, Pennazio F, Torta R (2014) Pain, depression and coping styles: assessment and evaluation in cancer pain population. J Pain Relief S2:004. https://doi.org/10.4172/2167-0846.S2-004

  20. Jimenez-Fonseca P, Lorenzo-Seva U, Ferrando PJ, et al (2018) The mediating role of spirituality (meaning, peace, faith) between psychological distress and mental adjustment in cancer patients. Support Care Cancer 26(5):1411–1418

  21. Kosir U, Wiedemann M, Wild J, Bowes L (2019) Psychiatric disorders in adolescent cancer survivors: a systematic review of prevalence and predictors. Cancer Rep 2(3):e1168

  22. Kvillemo P, Bränström R (2014) Coping with breast cancer: a meta-analysis. PLoS ONE 9:112733

    Google Scholar 

  23. Lauriola M, Tomai M (2019) Biopsychosocial correlates of adjustment to cancer during chemotherapy: the key role of health-related quality of life. Sci World J 19(5):1–12

  24. Langford DJ, Morgan S, Cooper B et al (2020) Association of personality profiles with coping and adjustment to cancer among patients undergoing chemotherapy. Psychooncology 29:1060–1067

    Google Scholar 

  25. Macía P, Gorbeña S, Gómez A et al (2020) Role of neuroticism and extraversion in the emotional health of people with cancer. Heliyon 6:04281

    Google Scholar 

  26. Marzorati C, Riva S, Pravettoni G (2016) Who is a cancer survivor? A systematic review of published definitions. J Cancer Educ 32:228–237

    Google Scholar 

  27. Michel G, François C, Harju E et al (2019) The long-term impact of cancer: evaluating psychological distress in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors in Switzerland. Psychooncology 28:577–585

    Google Scholar 

  28. Mishra VS, Saranath D (2019) Association between demographic features and perceived social support in the mental adjustment to breast cancer. Psychooncology. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.5001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Milaniak I, Wilczek-Rużyczka E (2017) Optimism and health locus of control in patients with head and neck cancer and psychological adaptation to disease. Psychoonkologia 21:29–35

    Google Scholar 

  30. Newell SA, Sanson-Fisher RW, Savolainen NJ (2002) Systematic review of psychological therapies for cancer patients: overview and recommendations for future research. J Natl Cancer Inst 94:558–584

    Google Scholar 

  31. Nipp RD, Greer JA, El-Jawahri A et al (2017) Coping and prognostic awareness in patients with advanced cancer. J Clin Oncol 35:2551–2557

    Google Scholar 

  32. Oniszczenko W, Laskowska A (2014) Emotional reactivity, coping style and cancer trauma symptoms. Archives of medical science : AMS 10:110–116

    Google Scholar 

  33. Pretzer JL, Walsh CA (2001) Optimism, pessimism, and psychotherapy: Implications for clinical practice. In: Chang EC (ed) Optimism & pessimism: Implications for theory, research, and practice. American Psychological Association, pp 321–346

    Google Scholar 

  34. Scheier MF, Carver CS, Bridges MW (1994) Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): a reevaluation of the life orientation test. J Pers Soc Psychol 67:1063–1078

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Schroevers MJ, Helgeson SV, Sanderman R, Ranchor VA (2010) Type of social support matters for prediction of posttraumatic growth among cancer survivors. Psychooncology 19:46–53

    Google Scholar 

  36. Shand LK, Cowlishaw S, Brooker JE et al (2015) Correlates of post-traumatic stress symptoms and growth in cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychooncology 24:624–634

    Google Scholar 

  37. Toscano A, Blanchin M, Bourdon M et al (2020) Longitudinal associations between coping strategies, locus of control and health-related quality of life in patients with breast cancer or melanoma. Qual Life Res 29:1271–1279

    Google Scholar 

  38. Van Buuren S, Groothuis-Oudshoorn K (2011) Mice: multivariate imputation by chained equations inR. J Stat Softw https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v045.i03

  39. Yağmur Y, Duman M (2016) The relationship between the social support level perceived by patients with gynecologic cancer and mental adjustment to cancer. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 134:208–211

    Google Scholar 

  40. You J, Wang C, Rodriguez L et al (2017) Personality, coping strategies and emotional adjustment among Chinese cancer patients of different ages. Eur J Cancer Care 27:12781

    Google Scholar 

  41. Wang WT, Tu PC, Liu TJ et al (2013) Mental adjustment at different phases in breast cancer trajectory: re-examination of factor structure of the Mini-MAC and its correlation with distress. Psychooncology 22:768–774

    Google Scholar 

  42. Watson M, Homewood J, Haviland J (2012) Coping response and survival in breast cancer patients: a new analysis. Stress Health 28:376–380

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Watson M, Law MG, dos Santos M et al (1994) The Mini-MAC. J Psychosoc Oncol 12:33–46

    Google Scholar 

  44. Weis J (2003) Support groups for cancer patients. Support Care Cancer 11:763–768

    Google Scholar 

  45. Zimet GD, Dahlem NW, Zimet SG, Farley GK (1988) The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. J Pers Assess 52:30–41

    Google Scholar 

  46. Grassi L, Buda P, Cavana L et al (2005) Styles of coping with cancer: the Italian version of the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer (Mini-MAC) scale. Psychooncology 14:115–124

    Google Scholar 

  47. Kang JI, Chung HC, Kim SJ et al (2008) Standardization of the Korean version of mini-mental adjustment to cancer (K-Mini-MAC) scale: factor structure, reliability and validity. Psychooncology 17:592–597

    Google Scholar 

  48. Tojal C, Costa R (2015) Depressive symptoms and mental adjustment in women with breast cancer: depression and mental adjustment to breast cancer. Psychooncology 24:1060–1065

    Google Scholar 

  49. Trejnowska A, Goodall K, Rush R et al (2020) The relationship between adult attachment and coping with brain tumour: the mediating role of social support. Psychooncology 29:729–736

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This study was supported by the Research Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Science [VEGA 1/0305/18] as well as the Slovak Research and Development Agency [APVV-17–0418].

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Trnava University, Hornopotočná 32, 918 43, Trnava, Slovakia

    Mária Dědová

  2. Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Presov, 17. Novembra 1, 080 01, Presov, Slovakia

    Gabriel Baník & Lenka Vargová

Authors
  1. Mária Dědová
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gabriel Baník
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lenka Vargová
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

GB: Conceptualization, Methodology, Resources, Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing-original draft, Writing-review and editing. LV: Data curation, Writing-original draft, Writing-review and editing. MD: Conceptualization, Project administration, Investigation, Resources, Funding acquisition, Writing-original draft, Writing-review and editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mária Dědová.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval

Study was approved by the Ethics Committee at Trnava University (resolution No. 1/2018).

Consent to participate

All participants have provided their written informed consent.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dědová, M., Baník, G. & Vargová, L. Coping with cancer: the role of different sources of psychosocial support and the personality of patients with cancer in (mal)adaptive coping strategies. Support Care Cancer 31, 27 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-022-07454-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-022-07454-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation