Expression of resilience, coping and quality of life in people with cancer

Abstract

Considering the importance of coping strategies and resilience in adapting to the stress caused by cancer, the objective of this research is to explore which coping strategies are the most used, in order to know whether different groups of levels of resilience and an appropriate coping style are related to a higher quality of life and better adaptation to the disease. There were 74 participants with cancer in this study (79.7% of them were women) ranging in age from 29 to 85 years (M = 50.9). Different instruments were used to measure the resilience construct (ER-20 items Resilience Scale), coping strategies (Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Short) and quality of life (General Health Questionnaire). People with higher resilience showed higher scores in the use of adaptive strategies, being acceptance and positive revaluation the most frequent ones. Regarding perception of quality of life, people with lower resilience showed statistically significant differences in the dimensions of pain and general health, which were likewise the most common ones for people with lower resilience. A significant association has been demonstrated between resilience and an adaptive coping, which at the same time are positively linked to quality of life of people with cancer. This study provides information about how different groups of resilience levels are related with coping and quality of life in people with cancer. It could be useful information for psychologists in the oncological area who have to take decisions in the clinical context. A practical consequence would involve trying to modify the type of coping, as well as increasing the level of resilience in people with cancer, in order to achieve a better adjustment to the disease.

Fig 1. Comparison of means of adaptive and disadaptive coping strategies by resilience tertiles.

Fig 2. Comparison of means of quality of life by resilience tertiles.

PF-Physical Functioning, RP-Physical Role Limitations, BP-Body pain, GH-General Health, VI-Vitality, SF-Social Functioning, RE-Emotional Role Limitations, MH-Mental Health, TPC-Total Physical component, TMC-Total Mental Component.