Health Psychology: Psychological Adjustment to Chronic Disease

Abstract

Chronic diseases carry important psychological and social consequences that demand significant psychological adjustment. The literature is providing increasingly nuanced conceptualizations of adjustment, demonstrating that the experience of chronic disease necessitates adaptation in multiple life domains. Heterogeneity in adjustment is apparent between individuals and across the course of the disease trajectory. Focusing on cancer, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatic diseases, we review longitudinal investigations of distal (socioeconomic variables, culture/ethnicity, and gender-related processes) and proximal (interpersonal relationships, personality attributes, cognitive appraisals, and coping processes) risk and protective factors for adjustment across time. We observe that the past decade has seen a surge in research that is longitudinal in design, involves adequately characterized samples of sufficient size, and includes statistical control for initial values on dependent variables. A progressively convincing characterization of risk and protective factors for favorable adjustment to chronic illness has emerged. We identify critical issues for future research.

Predictors of change in unmet supportive care needs in cancer

“…Patients experience a significant disruption in their global functioning and supportive care needs immediately following diagnosis however they continue to require assistance adapting to and coping with their cancer throughout the cancer trajectory [23,37]. Stanton et al [23] suggest that the realisation one has cancer may only become apparent over time, for example, when active coping strategies (e.g.…”

Does education buffer the impact of disability on psychological distress?

“…People may differ in the timing, process and severity of their illnesses. The 10-year time interval between the waves of the NCDS makes us lump together distant and recent disability onsets, although the effects of a recently started disability may be quite different from a disability that started longer ago (Lucas, 2007;Oswald & Powdthavee, 2008;Stanton et al, 2007). The disabilities we investigated are probably the result of on the one hand older chronic illnesses and more recent illnesses.…”

“…On average, people who faced a structural decline in physical health because of a disability, report lower well-being and more depressive symptoms. However, not everyone who experiences the onset of a physical disability becomes psychologically distressed, and those who are negatively affected by disability differ considerably in the magnitude of the psychological impact (Sharpe & Curran, 2006;Stanton, Revenson, & Tennen, 2007).…”

Existential Anxiety in Diagnostic Process of Genital Cancer

“…İşlevsel baş etme becerilerinin kullanımı, bireyin problemini anlamada ve çözümlerini eyleme geçirmede motivasyonunu artırır. [29,35] İşlevsel baş etme becerileri gelişmiş, pozitif uyum sağlayan bireyin olasılıkla yaşama, hastalığına ve tedavisine verdiği anlam da daha olumlu, yapıcı ve bireyi de geliştirici olacaktır. Ancak tüm bunların başarılmasında bireyin oynadığı rol kadar onunla birlikte, onun yaşantısının artık önemli bir parçası olan tedavisinin ve tedavi ekibinin de rolü oldukça önemlidir.…”