Department of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, P. O. Box 196, Ant Deusinglaan 1, 9700 AD, Groningen, Netherlands.
Soc Sci Med. 2010 Jun;70(11):1825-31. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.10.069. Epub 2010 Feb 12.
Cancer is generally considered a low-control situation. Stability of perceptions of control before and after cancer was examined, as well as the adaptive value of maintenance versus relinquishment of control in the psychological adjustment to cancer. This study, conducted in the northern Netherlands, was carried out in a prospective design with four assessment points (one pre-morbid and three post-morbid assessments) involving semi-structured interviews and self-report questionnaires. Ninety-nine newly diagnosed cancer patients all aged over 57 years completed all four assessment points. We found that perceptions of control declined before and after disease, possibly as a consequence of the diagnosis of cancer. Further, maintenance of control after cancer diagnosis was related to lower levels of psychological distress 6 and 12 months after diagnosis. These results suggest that maintenance of perceptions of control is beneficial to the psychological adjustment to cancer.
癌症通常被认为是一种低控制感的情况。本研究旨在探讨癌症前后控制感的稳定性，以及在癌症心理适应过程中维持或放弃控制感的适应价值。该研究在荷兰北部进行，采用前瞻性设计，共进行了四次评估（一次发病前和三次发病后评估），包括半结构化访谈和自我报告问卷。99 名新诊断的癌症患者年龄均在 57 岁以上，均完成了所有四次评估。我们发现，患者在发病前后的控制感下降，这可能是癌症诊断的结果。此外，癌症诊断后控制感的维持与诊断后 6 个月和 12 个月时较低的心理困扰水平有关。这些结果表明，维持对控制感的认知对癌症的心理适应是有益的。
