Exploring the Relationships of Illness Perception, Coping Strategy, and Quality of Life: A Longitudinal Study in Post-surgical Head and Neck Cancer Patients

• Main Authors: Chen, Pin-Hua, 陳品樺
• Other Authors: Wu, Chih-Hsun
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/yz45e9

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 心理學系 === 107 === Introduction: Head and Neck Patients confront with challenges of swallowing, eating, and changes in the appearance and voice, which bring about influences on quality of life and the need of coping resources. The present study is based on Common Sense Model, and a ‘dynamic view’ on ‘illness perception’ and ‘coping strategy’ is taken to explore the relationship of illness perception, coping strategy and quality of life among head and neck cancer patients. Method: Path analysis is used for the examination of the relationship of illness perception (including consequence, timeline, personal control, treatment control, identity, understanding, concern, and emotional response), coping strategy and quality of life. Forty-two head and neck cancer patients (thirty-six male and six female) recruited from a medical center in northern Taiwan completed the questionnaire through a month after surgery and the six-month follow up. Result: There are interaction between illness perception and coping strategy. Self-sufficient coping six-months after surgery are predicted by personal control and treatment control a month after surgery, and avoidant coping six-months after surgery are predicted by consequence, timeline, identity, understanding, and emotional response a month after surgery. Quality of life six-months after surgery are predicted by self-sufficient coping a month after surgery. Discussion: The importance of self-sufficient coping on following quality of life is shown in the present study. However, the result have to be examined by further research with suitable sample size.