Quality of life and current coping in young adult survivors of childhood cancer: positive expectations about the further course of the disease were correlated with better quality of life.
OBJECTIVE
As a result of advances in the treatment of childhood cancer many patients who may previously have had a limited life expectancy, are now surviving into adulthood. More insight is needed into the long-term adjustment of young adult survivors of childhood cancer. The purpose of this study was to (1) assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and (2) to explore the role of cognitive coping in relation to HRQoL.


METHODS
HRQoL of 353 Dutch young adult survivors of childhood cancer was compared with HRQoL of 507 peers. Linear regression analyses predicted survivors' HRQoL by cognitive coping, independent of the impact of demographics and medical variables.


RESULTS
Survivors reported a lower HRQoL than their peers. Health status was the best predictor of the Physical Component Scale of the RAND-36; health status and cognitive coping contributed almost equally well to the Mental Component Scale. The explanatory value of cognitive coping could mainly be attributed to the use of predictive control strategies.


CONCLUSIONS
Because current coping seemed to be an important predictor of HRQoL, interventions directed at the coping strategies of survivors should be useful. The strong association between predictive coping and HRQoL stresses the importance of focusing at having positive expectations about the further course of the disease.
Stam
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H
Paediatric Psychosocial Department, Emma Children's Hospital, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, G8-224 Meibergdreef 9, NL-1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. h.stam@amc.uva.nl
Grootenhuis
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Caron
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Last
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D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003710:Demography; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*