Coping with stress by women diagnosed with gynecologic cancer

Abstract

Introduction. Gynecologic cancers are associated with numerous ailments affecting the cognitive, emotional and behavioral outcomes for the ill women. The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of selected sociodemographic and medical variables on stress levels and to describe the predictors of stress intensity among women with diagnosed gynecologic cancer. Material and methods. The study was conducted from January 2015 to April 2016 in a group of 102 women hospitalized in gynecologic oncology wards in hospitals located in Olsztyn district. The own-designed questionnaire, the Scale of Perceived Stress-PSS-10 and the Multidimensional Inventory for Measuring Coping with Stress-Mini-COPE were used to carry out the study. Results. In 65.7% of investigated women with gynecologic cancer the intensity of the experienced stress was defined as high, in 23.5% as average, and in one in ten women showed low scores (10.8%), indicating the low severity of the stress experienced. The largest share of predictors (16%) of stress intensity in women patients is provided by a cessation strategy that is related to helplessness and abandonment of effort. Conclusions. Women with gynecological cancers were experiencing high levels of stress. Most of them feel helpless and abandoned in their illness. They have a potential to apply emotional strategies, including problem-focused strategies to deal with this condition. This study strongly supports a need for psychological counselling and care in gynecologic cancer patients.

The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Coping with Stress by Patients with Gynecological Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study in Türkiye

“…Studies confirm this result. As the perceived stress of patients with gynecological cancer decreases, the use of effective coping approaches increases [14, 16]. It is stated that individuals who can effectively cope with stress experience less stress, anxiety, and depression [13].…”

“…The increased stress experienced causes patients with gynecological cancer to have difficulty coping with cancer and stress. These difficulties may affect patients’ approaches to coping with stress [10, 13, 14, 16]. CAM can be used for different reasons, such as treating cancer, relaxing, reducing the side effects of the drugs taken, enhancing the immune system, and eliminating the disease.…”

“…For this reason, nurses (gynecology-oncology) among health professionals who are in one-to-one interaction with patients in the prevention, care, and treatment processes should investigate the use of CAM and their approaches to coping with the stress of patients with gynecological cancer and monitor the positive and negative consequences of use of CAM for the disease. Thus, nurses will be able to recommend the use of a CAM method that benefits patients with gynecological cancer, contribute to developing effective approaches to cope with stress, and provide guidance and counseling to patients [10, 14, 15, 22–24]. In this respect, this study aimed to determine the use of CAM and coping with stress in patients with gynecological cancer and the relationships between them, and the factors that predict the approaches to coping with stress in women with gynecological cancer in western Türkiye.…”

Investigating the Effect of a Structured Discharge Training Program on Patient Outcomes Following Gynecologic Oncology Surgery

“…With the increase in the number of people living with cancer, cancer is considered a chronic disease that requires adaptation (Hoffman et al, 2013). The best support for women is to improve their coping skills through training interventions (Eker & Aslan, 2017; Kupcewicz et al, 2018; Lauver et al, 2007; Smith et al, 2015; Yaman & Ayaz, 2016). In the present study, coping-adaptation levels of women in the intervention and control groups were low.…”

Assessment of pain, acceptance of the disease, adaptation to life and strategies of coping with the disease in patients with endometrial cancer

“…During that period, they apply various kinds of methods to fight stress, emotions, pain and disease. The adopted strategy often differs depending on the patients' situation (diagnosis, severity, treatment results) [30].…”