| Abstract [eng] |
The aim of this research was to explore the particular aspects of patients’ adjustment to advanced cancer disease and to determine the relations between the ways of adjustment, cognitive schemata, life quality, psychopathology and the strategies of cancer and pain coping. We hypothesized that the ways cancer patients adjust to advanced cancer disease and chronic pain would be different and would include the acceptance of advanced cancer disease; we expected to determine the relations between adaptive cognitive schemata, better life quality and the active strategies of cancer and pain coping as well. We have investigated 38 cancer patients hospitalized at the Department of Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy of Vilnius University Oncology Hospital and at the Department of Hematology and Oncology of Vilnius University Hospital Santariškių Klinikos. The approach of the half-structured interview, Word Assumption Scale (Janoff–Bulman, 1989), Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (Tedeschi, Calhoun, 1996), Meaning Constructed Scale (Fife, 1994), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30, Fayers et all., 2001), Impact of the Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) (Kazlauskas ir kt., 2006), Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, 1996), Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (Watson, Greer 1986), The Coping Strategies Questionnaire (Rosenstiel, Keefe, 1983), Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (McCracken et all., 2004) have been applied in the investigation work. We found that the ways the cancer patients adjusted to advanced cancer disease were different: 23.7 % of patients, the group Living “Here and Now”, had accepted cancer disease progression; 18.4 % of patients, the group of “Negotiators”, were convinced that their disease could be controlled; 18.4 % of patients, the group “Waiting for Recovery”, believed that their disease could be treatable; 7.9 % of patients, the group “Waiting for a Miracle”, perceived their disease as threatening but believed in a miracle and recovery; 31.6 % of patients, the group “Waiting for Death”, believed that their disease indicated a painful and imminent death. The patients who were Living “Here and Now” and had accepted cancer disease progression were living day after day; had plans related to their present situation; did not raise questions why they had fallen ill, maintained coherence with self, God and other people, tended to spare themselves both physically and psychologically. The group characteristics were posttraumatic growth and world benevolence, while the passive strategies of cancer and pain coping were less characteristic. The data of the research have confirmed that non-adaptive adjustment to an oncologic disease (the group “Waiting for Death”) could be related to psychopathology, lower self-esteem, lower life quality and the passive strategies of cancer and pain coping. |
