Patients with colorectal cancer: relationship between demographic and disease characteristics and acceptance of disability.
OBJECTIVE
This article is a report of a study conducted to examine acceptance of disability among patients with colorectal cancer and its relationships to other disease-related factors.


BACKGROUND
Colorectal cancer had become the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Recently, the topic of acceptance of disability in patients with chronic disease, especially cancer, has attracted enormous attention because the higher acceptance, the better coping with disease and the better quality of life after therapy.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was carried out with 110 patients with colorectal cancer recruited from a medical centre in northern Taiwan in 2008. Data were collected using the Acceptance of Disability Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression analysis were used for analysis.


RESULTS
Participants reported moderate levels of acceptance of disability. The regression model showed that those with shorter disease duration, stoma, lower educational level (below 9th grade), or in Duke C1 stage or above reported lower levels of acceptance, and these variables accounted for 25% of the total variance.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that acceptance of disability (i) is a useful construct to examine in future studies on psychosocial adaptation to cancer, and (ii) can be integrated into a clinical intervention programme of providing holistic care to patients with colorectal cancer.
Chao
Hui-Lin
HL
Department of Nursing, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tsai
Tzung-Yi
TY
Livneh
Hanoch
H
Lee
Hsin-Chung
HC
Hsieh
Pi-Ching
PC
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D004766:Enterostomy / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology; D013624:Taiwan; D013997:Time Factors