Cancer Survival Probability as a Function of Ego Defense (Adaptive) Mechanisms Versus Depressive Symptoms

Personality variables as predictors of early non-metastatic colorectal cancer patients’ psychological distress and health-related quality of life: A one-year prospective study

“…Although colorectal cancer patients' HRQOL and psychological distress were extensively investigated [3,7,9,10,14,16], few studies were longitudinal reporting their change over time. These studies showed that HRQOL is generally worst in the early postoperative period [47] and starts to improve from the third month onward [48][49][50].…”

“…The role of psychosocial and personality variables in the development of psychological distress and in determining HRQOL is less clear, although several personality traits seem to play a significant role in the disease process. Ego defense mechanisms, for example, were associated with reduced survival in cancer patients [16], while anger was associated with the progression of cancer [17]. Also, a strong sense of coherence (SOC), a health promoting factor [18], was associated with reduced rates of all-cause mortality [19] or even with delay in the onset of cancer [20].…”

Personality Factors Associated With Psychological Distress in Testicular Cancer Survivors

“…Despite the fact that recent evidence supports the protective influence of various psychosocial and personality factors in certain clinical aspects or even in survival rates in cancer patients (Beresford, Alfers, Mangum, Clapp, & Martin, 2006), little attention has been given to the role that personality parameters play in the development of various types of psychopathology in TCSs. Several studies have reported that psychological distress in TCSs was significantly associated with health worries, fear of relapse, unemployment, shorter time period since diagnosis, young age, alcohol problems, sexual problems, and having been treated for mental problems (Dahl, Haaland, et al, 2005;Jones & Payne, 2000;Moynihan, 1987) but an evaluation of personality parameters is still lacking.…”

Ego defense mechanisms in COPD: impact on health-related quality of life and dyspnoea severity

“…Whereas HRQoL and psychological distress could be causes or consequences of one another, the individuals' defensive personality organization is assumed to be relatively stable, having its origins in the individual's early life experiences [18], therefore preceding the psychological distress symptom formulation and HRQoL. Previous research showed that the patients' underlying defensive profile is connected to the disease activity in several chronic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis [19] and inflammatory bowel disease [20], and that the cancer patients' defensive structure was an indicator even of lowered survival [21]. Furthermore, the fact that immature ego defense mechanisms have been found to be associated with impaired HRQoL in rheumatic diseases and cancer [22,23] prompted us to test whether the same is true in COPD.…”