Nurses are in a position to provide pivotal psychosocial and informational support to patients, so they need to be aware of the often-overlooked psychosocial effects of NMSC to address these issues and provide optimal care.

No abstract

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common cancer world-wide, yet few studies have investigated the psychosocial implications of this disease. The current study provides an account of the distress experienced by patients with NMSC and the coping strategies they use to deal with the NMSC diagnosis. The results demonstrate that 19 % of the patients experience significant levels of psychological distress. Furthermore, those who engaged in avoidant coping strategies (specifically behavioural avoidance) were more likely to experience distress. These findings highlight the importance of further investigating this patient population, since patients report difficulties adjusting to this disease and its treatment.

Taylor's (1983) cognitive adaptation theory posits that when people go through life transitions, such as being diagnosed with a chronic disease, they adjust to their new reality. The adjustment process revolves around three themes: search for positive meaning in the experience or optimism, attempt to regain a sense of mastery in life, as well as an effort to enhance self-esteem. In the sample of 57 patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer the Cognitive Adaptation Index successfully predicted participants' distress (p < .001) accounting for 60% of the variance and lending support for the Taylor's theory of cognitive adaptation in this population.