title: [The Relationship Between Coping Behaviors and Symptom Distress in Elderly Patients With Cancer Undergoing Initial Chemotherapy].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Elderly cancer patients undergoing initial chemotherapy often suffer discomfort from medication-related symptom distress. This discomfort may affect treatment responses and outcomes negatively.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This correlational, cross-sectional design study used a purposive sample of 100 patients who were both over 60 years of age and currently undergoing initial chemotherapy. The participants completed a structured questionnaire that was administered at a medical center in southern Taiwan. The questionnaire included a demographics datasheet, Coping Behavior Scale, and Symptom Distress Scale. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal Wallis tests, which were run on SPSS 19.0 software.
  
  
  METHODS
  This correlational, cross-sectional design study used a purposive sample of 100 patients who were both over 60 years of age and currently undergoing initial chemotherapy. The participants completed a structured questionnaire that was administered at a medical center in southern Taiwan. The questionnaire included a demographics datasheet, Coping Behavior Scale, and Symptom Distress Scale. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal Wallis tests, which were run on SPSS 19.0 software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three-quarters (78%) of participants reported that they suffered from more than four distress symptoms. The top distress symptoms in terms of severity included: fatigue, poor appetite, insomnia, dry mouth, and altered bowel habits. The top distress symptoms in terms of frequency included: fatigue, dry mouth, poor appetite, insomnia, and altered bowel habits. "Problem-focused" coping was the most frequent type of coping behavior (mean = 3.19, SD = 0.24) that was used by participants. Furthermore, more frequent use of "emotions-focused" coping behaviors was associated with a greater risk of experiencing serious distress symptoms (r =.44, p < .001). Number of chronic diseases, cancer stage, and type of cancer treatment had no significant influence of symptom distress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings confirmed the relationship between coping behavior and symptom distress in elderly Taiwanese cancer patients undergoing initial chemotherapy. The results suggest that healthcare providers may use interventions that target patient coping behavior in order to alleviate the chemotherapy-induced symptoms of distress in elderly cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: MSN, RN, Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Tzu Hui Institute of Technology, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Shih-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: PhD, RN, Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Chang Jung Christian University, Taiwan, ROC. x3139@mail.cjcu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Ya-Chuan
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Hsu
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: cancer; chemotherapy; coping; elderly; symptom distress