The Big Five and identification-contrast processes in social comparison in adjustment to cancer treatment

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between social comparison processes and the Big Five personality factors. In a sample of 112 patients with various forms of cancer it was found that Neuroticism was associated with a tendency to focus on the negative interpretation of social comparison information that expressed itself in identification with fellow patients who were doing worse. This identification process also seemed to mediate the (negative) relationship between Neuroticism and post‐treatment feelings of mastery and uncertainty. No relationship was found between Neuroticism and the tendency to contrast one's situation against the situation of others who are doing better. Unexpectedly, Extraversion was most strongly related to a tendency to contrast one's situation against the situation of fellow patients who are doing better. Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Intellect/Autonomy were unrelated to social comparison. The therapeutical implications of the findings for cancer patients are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The five‐factor personality inventory: cross‐cultural generalizability across 13 countries

“…In a relatively small (N ¼ 99) sample of cancer patients under treatment (for details, see Van der Zee, Buunk, Sanderman, Botke, & Van den Bergh, 1999), the FFPI appeared internally consistent but factor congruence left something to be desired for Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Autonomy (Hendriks et al, 1999a). In a larger (N ¼ 237) sample of hospital patients, good internal consistency reliability and excellent factor congruence for all five factors was found (Hendriks, 2000).…”

“…The five components appeared internally consistent, but factor congruence left something to be desired for Agreeableness and Autonomy, taking the Dutch normative structure as the reference, and for Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Autonomy, taking the American large-sample structure as the reference. These results resemble those found in the study by Van der Zee et al (1999) and again it may be explained by sample size. Nonetheless, clearly, additional research is needed to validate the FFPI in clinical samples.…”

Social Comparison and related psychosocial variables: a review of cancer and chronic pain

“…Entre los trabajos revisados, encontramos que se han evaluado las creencias de control en el caso de pacientes oncológicos pero no con los de dolor crónico (Bunnk et al, 1990, van der Zee et al, 1999Stieglis et al, 2004). Los instrumentos utilizados de creencias de control con pacientes oncológi-cos son, la mayoría, elaborados al efecto e incluyen ítems para valorar control personal y control de síntomas (p.ej.…”

“…Sin embargo, Bogart et al, (2000) utiliza "The Multidimensional Health Locus of Control" (MHLC: Wallston, Wallston y De Vellis, 1978) con ítems específicos de control de síntomas, pronóstico, sentimientos y emociones acerca de la enfermedad. En estos trabajos, las creencias de control se han relacionado con un menor uso de comparaciones descendentes de identificación (van der Zee et al, 1999;Bogart et al, 2000).…”

“…La incertidumbre es una variable importante en pacientes oncológicos que no ha sido evaluada en pacientes con dolor crónico (Molleman, Pruyn, van-Knippenberg, 1986;van der Zee et al, 1999;Bogart et al, 2000;Bennenbroek et al, 2002;Stiegelis et al, 2004) (Ver Tabla 1). Los estudios evalúan las conductas que los pacientes realizan para reducir la incertidumbre provocada por el diagnóstico y tratamiento de su enfermedad.…”