Personality Traits and Coping Strategies Relevant to Posttraumatic Growth in Patients with Cancer and Survivors: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The possibility of positive psychological changes after cancer, namely, posttraumatic growth, is a growing field of research. Identifying personality traits and coping strategies related to posttraumatic growth may help find vulnerable individuals as well as promote helpful coping strategies to help more patients make positive changes at an early stage. The aim of this systematic literature review is to provide an overview of the quantitative data on coping strategies and personality traits associated with posttraumatic growth in patients with cancer and cancer survivors as well as the methods used in included studies. A systematic literature search was conducted using five databases (PubMed, PubPsych, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and PSYNDEXplus). The 70 reports of included studies assessed posttraumatic growth using questionnaires in a sample of patients with cancer or survivors. In addition, associations with a personality trait or coping strategy had to be examined cross-sectionally or longitudinally. All 1698 articles were screened for titles and abstracts by two authors, after which disputed articles were reviewed by a third author. Afterwards, articles were screened for full texts. Most studies had a cross-sectional design and used a sample of patients with breast cancer. Coping strategies have been researched more than personality factors. The personality traits of resilience, hardiness, dispositional positive affectivity, and dispositional gratitude seem to be related to posttraumatic growth, while the Big Five personality traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism) have been less researched and/or seem to be unrelated. The use of social support, religious coping, positive reframing, and reflection during illness as coping strategies seems to be related to posttraumatic growth. The findings can be used for the development of interventions. Future studies should investigate associations longitudinally.

Can mindfulness facilitate posttraumatic growth in breast cancer patients? The mediating role of illness perceptions and positive emotions

“…Furthermore, this study highlights that among women with breast cancer, higher levels of positive emotions correlate with increased levels of PTG. These findings align with previous studies among cancer patients and survivors, indicating that positive affect plays a crucial role in fostering the experience of PTG (Knauer et al, 2022; Ochoa et al, 2017).…”

“…Additionally, Zoellner and Maercker (2006) pointed to the role of positive emotions in facilitating openness to experience and as a predictor of PTG. Indeed, a recent systematic literature review found that positive affect was positively correlated to PTG among cancer patients (Knauer et al, 2022). Moreover, in a longitudinal study that followed women with early-stage breast cancer during the first-year post-diagnosis, positive emotions were found to be positively correlated with PTG (Boyle et al, 2017).…”

Association between personality types and low anterior resection syndrome in rectal cancer patients following surgery

“… 41 Some research indicates that anxiety and depressive symptoms positively correlate with physical, psychological, and social factors. 42 Medical professionals might serve as a great source of information for patients developing positive coping strategies, 43 including providing information on support groups that facilitate socially active communication, stress management techniques, and social support interventions. 38 …”

Organizational compassion and employee adversarial growth under various job control

“…Personal adversarial growth has gained great attention in positive psychology, and many studies have been done on promoting positive changes and avoiding negative consequences when individuals experience adversities. Positive coping styles, family members, and peer support have all been shown to be effective predictors of individual adversarial growth (Sörensen et al, 2021 ; Knauer et al, 2022 ). However, most of the current research has focused on individual perspectives to explain adversarial growth, and research involving organizational perspectives is very limited.…”