title: Coping and quality of life in Turkish women living with ovarian cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study investigated the utilization of both problem and emotion focused coping strategies and their association with aspects of quality of life among Turkish women with ovarian cancer undergoing chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The convenience sample consisted of 228 patients in all disease stages. The data were collected using the brief COPE, QOL-Cancer patient tool, sociodemographic sheet, and medical variables were gathered from patients' medical charts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings reveal that quality of life is moderately high for this group of cancer patients, despite some specific negative facets of the illness and treatment experience. Acceptance, emotional support and religion were the most frequently used problem-focused coping strategies and self-distraction, venting and behavioral disengagement were the most frequently used emotion-focused coping strategies reported by patients. Overall quality of life and, particularly, psychological and spiritual well- being scores of younger patients were lower. Patients reported using significantly more problem-focused coping than emotion-focused coping, and more problem-focused and less emotion-focused coping predicted greater quality of life. Problem-focused coping was related to patients' physical and spiritual well-being and emotion- focused coping was related inversely with psychological and social well-being.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Coping strategies are influential in patient quality of life and their psychosocial adaptation to ovarian cancer. Psycho-oncology support programs are needed to help patients to frequent use of problem-focused coping and reduce emotion- focused coping strategies to improve overall quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work, FEAS, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey E-mail : ttuncay@hacettepe.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Tarik
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tuncay
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012067:Religion; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents