Psychological long-term coping with experience of disease and treatment in childhood cancer survivors.

• Childhood cancer, although cured, may have long-term psychological consequences for the adult survivor. The outcome of patients' coping with the illness and treatment experience was assessed in relation to a theoretical model describing optimal long-term coping with a potential psychic trauma of this nature. Thirty young adult childhood cancer survivors were studied. The average age at diagnosis was 8 years, and at evaluation 22 years. The average time since diagnosis was 13 years. The evaluations of coping were carried out independently by two psychologists, who rated material from semistructured in-depth interviews. By statistical cluster analysis three clusters were produced that could be interpreted as exhibiting "good," "intermediate" and "poor" coping, containing 40, 33, and 27%, respectively, of the total group. Overall cluster differences were statistically significant. Profile analysis revealed statistical stability and internal homogeneity in the good coping cluster and the poor coping cluster.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Cancer och onkologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Cancer and Oncology (hsv//eng)

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