Coping and quality of life issues affecting cancer families
Abstract
This investigation seeks to add to the literature by examining coping and quality of life issues in cancer families and determining if family responses to cancer are different than responses to heart disease. Specifically, cancer and heart disease families were compared on the following variables: psychiatric symptoms, family functioning, perceived love, coping, and quality of life. It was hypothesized that cancer families would exhibit dysfunction on all variables as compared to heart disease families due to the psychosocial stressors related to cancer. The present investigation included 13 cancer and 13 heart disease families, using a 2 x 3 factorial design to examine differences between diseases (cancer and heart disease) and within families (patient, spouse, and child). While the results suggested no significant between-group interactions, children of cancer patients had a tendency to verbally express less love within the family than cancer patients. Employing stepwise multiple regression analyses, a model was found to predict 61% of the variance in quality of life for cancer families, with fewer psychiatric symptoms and increased love expression associated with better adjustment. Also, models of quality of life were computed for cancer patients, their spouses, and their children. These models support the idea that there is variability in how family members adjust to cancer. In summary, based on this select sample, it was noted that perceived love and affective distress may play an important role in coping and quality of life of cancer families.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Swensen, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy|Social psychology|Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology
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