Mental Adjustment (mental + adjustment)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Japanese cancer patients' communication style preferences when receiving bad news

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 7 2007
Maiko Fujimori
Abstract This study describes the communication style preferences of Japanese patients when receiving bad news, examines the factor structure of the measure for patients' preferences (MPP) in a Japanese population, and explores variables that may be associated with patients' communication style preferences. Five hundred twenty-nine cancer outpatients completed several psychosocial measures including the Japanese version of the MPP (MPP-J), the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (MAC), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The patients desired detailed information and a supportive environment when receiving bad news. The MPP-J demonstrated a 5-factor structure: support, facilitation, medical information, clear explanation, and encouraging question-asking. Regression analyses indicated that a female gender, the fighting spirit and anxious preoccupation dimensions of the MAC were positively associated with all 5 MPP-J factors. In conclusion, Japanese cancer patients' preferences for communication when receiving bad news differ somewhat from those of American patients. Japanese physicians should encourage patients to ask questions and should consider the demographic (e.g. gender), medical (disease status) and psychosocial characteristics (fighting spirit and anxious preoccupation) of patients when delivering bad news. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The mediating role of appraisal and coping in the relationship between optimism-pessimism and quality of life

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 9 2005
I. Schou
Abstract Longitudinal data from 165 women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer were used to investigate if the relationship between optimism,pessimism and quality of life (QOL) is attributed to the appraisal and coping strategies. The women completed the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), as a measurement of optimism,pessimism, the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) Scale, as a measure for coping, a VAS for appraisal and the EORTC QLQ-C30, as a measure for QOL at two time points: at diagnosis and 12-months after breast cancer surgery. Optimism,pessimism had both a direct and indirect influence on QOL. Two coping strategies were particularly strong mediators for the indirect influence: fighting spirit and hopeless/helpless. Optimists responded with fighting spirit, which had a positive effect on their QOL. On the other hand, pessimists responded with hopeless/helplessness, which had a negative effect on their QOL. The relationship between pessimism and QOL at time of diagnosis was also mediated by appraisal, such as threat. The two coping strategies remained fairly stable over the 12 months within the optimists and pessimists. The results suggest that the influence of optimism and pessimism on QOL appears to be mediated by coping both before and after treatment for breast cancer. Fighting spirit and hopeless/helplessness appear to reflect the characteristic coping strategies for optimists and pessimists. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Results of a multi-componential psychosocial intervention programme for women with early-stage breast cancer in Spain: quality of life and mental adjustment

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 3 2009
D. MANOS phd, psychologist-psychotherapist
The effectiveness of a structured psychosocial intervention for women with breast cancer was studied in relation to a control group. The study was conducted in a hospital setting in Spain, and the aim of the intervention programme was to foster a higher quality of life and a more positive mental adjustment to the cancer. Three measures were used: baseline, post-treatment and 6-month follow-up for both groups. The dependent variables examined were quality of life and mental adjustment. The independent variable was the psychosocial intervention programme. Subjects were 188 women who had been operated for breast cancer and who satisfied a series of medical criteria, had no history of psychological problems and were between 25 and 65 years old. The results have shown that the psychosocial intervention programme was highly effective in improving the patients' quality of life, as compared with baseline measures, as well as compared with the control group. Additionally, the intervention increased the patients' fighting spirit and hopefulness/optimism, and reduced their anxious preoccupation as coping styles. These changes persevered at the 6-month follow-up. [source]