Breast cancer patients’ topic avoidance and psychological distress: The mediating role of coping

Donovan-Kicken, Erin; Caughlin, John P.

doi:10.1177/1359105310383605

Cited by 79 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…It is assumed that people who view their cancer as having already caused a great amount of loss engage in escape and avoidance behaviors in an effort to turn their attention away from the situation (Franks & Roesch, 2006). A vast amount of literature is congruent with our findings regarding the use of escape-avoidance coping and depression in cancer patients (Costanzo et al, 2006; Donovan-Kicken & Caughlin, 2011). Escape and avoidance may provide temporary relief from dealing with the stress of cancer; however, they do not change the outcome of the situation; if that is the goal, then efforts to cope in this manner will be futile.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Cognitive Appraisals, Coping and Depressive Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients

2012

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Depression in breast cancer patients and survivors is related to negative disease outcomes and worse quality of life. Factors that explain this depression can serve as targets of intervention. This study, guided by the Transactional Theory of Stress, examined the relationship between cognitive appraisals, coping strategies, and depressive symptoms in a group of women with mostly advanced-stage breast cancer (N = 65), who scored mostly within the normal range for depressive symptoms. Path analysis was used to determine the relationships among variables, measured with the Cognitive Appraisals of Illness Scale, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. The results of the path analysis showed that higher appraisals of harm/loss and greater use of escape-avoidance coping predicted higher depressive symptoms. These findings enhance the prediction of depression among breast cancer patients and suggest the need to examine cognitive appraisals when attempting to understand depressive symptoms.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Cognitive Appraisals, Coping and Depressive Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients

2012

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“…Findings also suggested that family communication problems may cause a lack of initiative to cope with their problems and lead a decrease in coping use. Consistent with previous research [39], family communication strain was associated with poor mental health. As shown in previous research [8, 40], external family coping such as marshaling support from friends/relatives and spiritual support appears to help Chinese- and Korean-American BCS adapt positively, leading to better mental health.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Understanding the Stress Process of Chinese- and Korean-American Breast Cancer Survivors

Paek

Lim

2016

J Immigrant Minority Health

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Guided by the stress process model (SPM), this study investigated the direct and indirect pathways of primary (negative self-image and life stress), secondary stressors (family communication strain) and family coping (external and internal) on mental health outcomes among Chinese- and Korean-American breast cancer survivors (BCS). A total of 156 Chinese- and Korean-American BCS were surveyed. Results showed primary and secondary stressors had a negative effect on better mental health outcomes. External coping was associated with better mental health. Family communication strain mediated the relationship between life stress and mental health outcomes. External coping mediated the relationship between family communication strain and mental health outcomes. Multi-group analysis revealed the stress process did not differ across ethnic groups. Findings suggest the SPM may be applicable to understand the stress process of Chinese-and Korean-American BCS and provide valuable insight into the role of family communication and external coping on mental health outcomes.

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“…Effective communication positively influences the rate of patient recovery, pain control, adherence to treatment regimens, psychological functioning, and quality of life (e.g., Gattellari et al, 2001; Uitterhoeve et al, 2009; Vogel et al, 2009). Alternatively, ineffective communication can leave patients feeling anxious, and is associated with increased uncertainty and dissatisfaction with care (Hagerty et al, 2005), increase lack of compliance with recommended treatment regimens (Jin et al, 2008; Martin et al, 2005), and elevated rates of depression and anxiety (Donovan-Kicken and Caughlin, 2011). As well, ineffective communication may negatively affect the nurses by increasing stress, lack of job satisfaction, and emotional burnout (e.g., Emold et al, 2010; Potter et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oncology nurses' communication challenges with patients and families: A qualitative study

Banerjee

Manna

Coyle

et al. 2016

Nurse Education in Practice

123

100

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The benefits of effective communication in an oncology setting are multifold and include the overall well-being of patients and health professionals, adherence to treatment regimens, psychological functioning, and improvements in quality of life. Nevertheless, there are substantial barriers and communication challenges reported by oncology nurses. This study was conducted to present a summary of communication challenges faced by oncology nurses. From November 2012 to March 2014, 121 inpatient nurses working in the oncology setting participated in an online pre-training qualitative survey that asked nurses to describe common communication challenges in communicating empathy and discussing death, dying, and end-of-life (EOL) goals of care. The results revealed six themes that describe the challenges in communicating empathically: dialectic tensions, burden of carrying bad news, lack of skills for providing empathy, perceived institutional barriers, challenging situations, and perceived dissimilarities between the nurse and the patient. The results for challenges in discussing death, dying and EOL goals of care revealed five themes: dialectic tensions, discussing specific topics related to EOL, lack of skills for providing empathy, patient/family characteristics, and perceived institutional barriers. This study emphasizes the need for institutions to provide communication skills training to their oncology nurses for navigating through challenging patient interactions.

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Breast cancer patients’ topic avoidance and psychological distress: The mediating role of coping

Cited by 79 publications

References 41 publications

Cognitive Appraisals, Coping and Depressive Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients

Cognitive Appraisals, Coping and Depressive Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients

Understanding the Stress Process of Chinese- and Korean-American Breast Cancer Survivors

Oncology nurses' communication challenges with patients and families: A qualitative study

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