Psychological adjustment to gynaecological cancer: patients' illness representations, coping strategies and mood disturbance

Abstract

This study examined associations between illness representation dimensions specified by the self-regulation model, coping and mood in recently diagnosed gynaecological cancer patients. Participants were 61 patients recruited from a specialist outpatient gynaecology clinic. Patients completed a survey measuring their cognitive illness representations (IPQ-R), coping strategies (COPE) and mood (POMS-SF). Consistent with research into other illnesses, the study found theoretically congruent cross-sectional associations between illness representations and mood disturbance. Support was found for a possible path whereby higher denial and avoidant coping might mediate the relationships between cyclical timeline and illness coherence representations and more negative mood. There were no mediational relationships for other coping strategies. Mediation of the relationship between illness representations and mood by avoidant coping has important theoretical and practical implications. These are discussed, as are direct relationships between illness representations and mood.