Date of Award

1998

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

There is a trend in CounselingPsychology to better understand the associations between coping and the physiological and psychological status of individuals with medical illnesses. Research shows that the coping mechanism of relationships, with other human beings and with a higher power, helps those who are facing a major life stressor. The purpose of this study was to examine social support and religious problem-solving styles and their influence on anxiety and symptom distress in cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. The sample was 60 adult patients from two cancer treatment facilities in the midwest who were in the final week of radiation therapy for a variety of cancers. Two null hypotheses were examined. The first investigated the relationship between the group of adjustment variables and the group of relationship variables. This was tested by canonical correlation. The second hypothesis examined the relationship that each of the adjustment variables had with the group of relationship variables. This was tested by multiple regression. In addition, post hoc analyses were conducted, using these same statistical procedures and bivariate analyses, to examine possible differences by site of cancer, age, and gender. It was found that, for a heterogeneous sample of cancer patients, no reliable patterns of association exist between perceptions of relationships with significant others and with a higher power and adjustment to cancer and radiation treatment. However, for younger cancer patients and those treated for breast cancer, perceived adequacy of social support is inversely related to anxiety. Also, perceptions of a collaborative relationship with a higher power are inversely related to anxiety for females and younger cancer patients.

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