Psychological long-term coping with experience of disease and treatment in childhood cancer survivors.
Childhood cancer, although cured, may have long-term psychological consequences for the adult survivor. The outcome of patients' coping with the illness and treatment experience was assessed in relation to a theoretical model describing optimal long-term coping with a potential psychic trauma of this nature. Thirty young adult childhood cancer survivors were studied. The average age at diagnosis was 8 years, and at evaluation 22 years. The average time since diagnosis was 13 years. The evaluations of coping were carried out independently by two psychologists, who rated material from semistructured in-depth interviews. By statistical cluster analysis three clusters were produced that could be interpreted as exhibiting "good," "intermediate" and "poor" coping, containing 40, 33, and 27%, respectively, of the total group. Overall cluster differences were statistically significant. Profile analysis revealed statistical stability and internal homogeneity in the good coping cluster and the poor coping cluster.
Boman
K
K
Department of Psychology, Stockholm University.
Bodegård
G
G
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007938:Leukemia / Q000523:psychology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010553:Personality Development; D011788:Quality of Life; D012803:Sick Role