Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 9 (Siltavuorenpenger 20 D), 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
Psychol Health. 2012;27(2):178-95. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2010.484064. Epub 2011 May 24.
The aim of this study was to clarify the associations between sense of coherence (SOC), dispositional optimism and distress (i.e., anxiety and depression) in cancer patients and their partners.
The associations between SOC, dispositional optimism (Life Orientation Test-Revised, LOT-R), depression (Beck Depression Inventory-14, BDI-14) and anxiety (Endler Multidimensional Anxiety Scales, EMAS-State) were studied in 147 cancer couples. The data were collected with self-report questionnaires at the time of diagnosis (2 months) and after 6 months. Path analysis was used to analyse the predictors of follow-up distress and crossover effects in the longitudinal data.
Optimistic patients and patients with strong SOC as well as their partners reported fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety than less optimistic subjects and subjects with weaker SOC. Optimism partially explained the effect of SOC on distress and SOC seemed to be an independent factor in predicting distress. Patient and partner distress at baseline and at 8-month follow-up correlated positively. In addition, high partner optimism at baseline seemed to predict low patient anxiety at follow-up.
The beneficial effects of SOC seem to include also other elements beyond optimism. In clinical practice, enhancing optimistic expectations of the future and promoting SOC could be expected to reduce distress in cancer patients and their partners.
本研究旨在阐明癌症患者及其伴侣的心理一致感（SOC）、性格乐观倾向与苦恼（即焦虑和抑郁）之间的关联。
本研究纳入了 147 对癌症伴侣，采用自陈式问卷在诊断时（2 个月）和 6 个月后分别收集 SOC、性格乐观倾向（生活取向测验修订版，LOT-R）、抑郁（贝克抑郁量表-14 项，BDI-14）和焦虑（恩德勒多维焦虑量表，EMAS-State）的数据。采用路径分析对随访时苦恼的预测因素和纵向数据中的交叉效应进行分析。
与不太乐观和 SOC 较弱的患者相比，乐观的患者和 SOC 较强的患者及其伴侣报告的抑郁和焦虑症状较少。乐观倾向部分解释了 SOC 对苦恼的影响，SOC 似乎是预测苦恼的独立因素。患者和伴侣在基线和 8 个月随访时的苦恼呈正相关。此外，基线时伴侣的高乐观倾向似乎预示着随访时患者的焦虑程度较低。
SOC 的有益影响似乎还包括乐观倾向以外的其他因素。在临床实践中，增强对未来的乐观期望和促进 SOC 有望降低癌症患者及其伴侣的苦恼。
