title: Use of the mini-MAC scale in the evaluation of mental adjustment to cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study was to evaluate mental adjustment to cancer in patients diagnosed with an oncologic disease through identification of the coping strategies they had adopted.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-four patients of the Clinic of Oncology and Haematology at the Central Clinical Hospital (CSK) of the Ministry of Interior (MSW) in Warsaw were included in the study. The degree of adaptation to cancer was evaluated with the use of the mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer (mini-MAC) scale. The individual subscales, i.e. fighting spirit, positive redefinition, helplessness-hopelessness, and anxious preoccupation, were collated with socio-demographic characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Study findings indicate that: 1) tumour patients typically manifest behaviour that allows one to identify their adjustment to cancer; 2) in malignant tumour patients constructive behaviour prevails over destructive behaviour; 3) the helplessness-hopelessness response is more pronounced in men than women; 4) metastatic patients manifest stronger helplessness-hopelessness response than patients with locally limited tumours; 5) pensioners more often than people of working age adopt the helplessness-hopelessness strategy; and 6) patients with the shortest disease period manifest the strongest fighting spirit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cancer patients employ various strategies of coping with disease depending on socio-demographic factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Aleksandra Izabela
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Czerw
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Prevention, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewelina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marek
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland; Clinic of Oncology and Haematology CSK MSW, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deptała
keywords: cancer; coping with stress; mental adjustment to neoplastic disease; mini Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (mini-MAC); psycho-oncology