Dekker Joost, Doppenberg-Smit Elise, Braamse Annemarie, Lamers Femke, van Linde Myra, Verheul Henk M W, Sprangers Mirjam, Beekman Aartjan T F
Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Amsterdam Public Health, Mental Health Program, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Front Psychiatry. 2024 Mar 27;15:1352026. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1352026. eCollection 2024.
Cancer and its associated treatment is a major stressor, leading to emotions such as anxiety or depressive mood. Human emotions have developed through the course of evolution because they facilitate adaptation to important events, such as cancer and its associated treatment. On the other hand, emotions can be maladaptive and interfere with adaptation to cancer. Emotions are maladaptive if they are disproportionally severe or persistent, and if they interfere with functioning. We aim to expand the conceptualization of adaptive and maladaptive emotions in patients with cancer. We draw on major theories in the field of mental disorder and mental health, and apply these theories to conceptualize adaptive and maladaptive emotions in patients with cancer. (i) Maladaptive emotions have two essential features: mental dysfunction and patient harm. Maladaptive emotions are characterized by a network of strongly associated emotional symptoms, which may include cancer-related somatic symptoms. The dysfunctional symptom network is hypothesized to be the result of disturbance of life goal pursuit caused by cancer. (ii) Adaptive emotions have two essential features: ability to deal with cancer and functioning well. The ability to use emotions in an adaptive way depends on skills to recognize, express, and regulate emotions in a flexible manner. A secure attachment style facilitates adaptive emotional responses to cancer. The present conceptualization of adaptive and maladaptive emotions is expected to contribute to better understanding and management of emotions in patients with cancer.
癌症及其相关治疗是一个主要的压力源，会引发焦虑或抑郁情绪等。人类的情绪是在进化过程中发展而来的，因为它们有助于适应诸如癌症及其相关治疗等重要事件。另一方面，情绪可能具有适应不良性，并干扰对癌症的适应。如果情绪过于严重或持续时间过长，以及如果它们干扰了功能，那么这些情绪就是适应不良的。我们旨在扩展对癌症患者适应性和适应不良性情绪的概念化理解。我们借鉴精神障碍和心理健康领域的主要理论，并应用这些理论来对癌症患者的适应性和适应不良性情绪进行概念化。（i）适应不良性情绪有两个基本特征：心理功能障碍和对患者造成伤害。适应不良性情绪的特点是由一系列紧密相关的情绪症状组成的网络，其中可能包括与癌症相关的躯体症状。功能失调的症状网络被假定为癌症导致生活目标追求受到干扰的结果。（ii）适应性情绪有两个基本特征：应对癌症的能力和良好的功能状态。以适应性方式运用情绪的能力取决于以灵活方式识别、表达和调节情绪的技能。安全的依恋风格有助于对癌症产生适应性的情绪反应。目前对适应性和适应不良性情绪的概念化预期将有助于更好地理解和管理癌症患者的情绪。
