title: Coping with oral cancer: the impact of health and disease-related personality traits.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Oral tumours lead to critical reductions in quality of life and well being. Coping with illness is a multidimensional construct that is affected by various factors, including social structure, social support, locus of control and religious considerations. However, the effect of personality on coping with illness has hardly been studied. In this context, just one personality model has been developed, but this defines personality in very wide dimensions. Therefore, this study considered the personality factors related to health and disease and aimed to identify potential clinical applications in patients with oral cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled 104 patients suffering from oral cancer. Participants were asked about their personality and illness coping styles using the Freiburg Personality Inventory and the Freiburg Questionnaire of Coping with Illness, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regression analyses revealed that specific personality structures of the patients determine their way of coping. Patients primarily used active and problem-oriented coping styles; spirituality, depressive coping and minimization were used less frequently.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results demonstrate that personality affects coping behaviour. When treating patients, both situational factors and personality traits affect how patients cope with their disease. We note that it is important to give particular attention to patients who use depressive coping styles, as these patients are often incapable of coping with their diseases without external support.
authors.affiliation: Department of Personality Psychology and Psychological Assessment, Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the German Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Holstenhofweg 85, 22043, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Madiha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rana
authors.forename: Nils-Claudius
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Gellrich
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Czens
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanatas
authors.forename: Majeed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rana
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult