TY - JOUR
T1 - A predictive model of fear of cancer recurrence for patients undergoing chemotherapy
AU - Hong, Se Jin
AU - Shin, Nah Mee
AU - Jung, Sunyoung
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (grant numbers NRF-2017R1D1A1B03033380).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2020/9/1
Y1 - 2020/9/1
N2 - Purpose: A number of cancer patients experience fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), which affects their psychological adjustment. This study tested the hypothesized model of FCR to predict psychological adjustment in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: A total of 203 patients, who had been diagnosed with either breast cancer or colorectal cancer and were undergoing chemotherapy, were recruited from two university hospitals in Seoul, Korea. Data were collected using validated questionnaires and were analyzed using SPSS 24.0 and AMOS 25.0 program for structural equation modeling procedures. Results: The fit index of the hypothesized model was appropriate. Symptom distress, contextual factors, FCR, and illness representations had statistically significant direct, indirect, and total effects on psychological adjustment. These variables explained 76% of the total variance of the psychological adjustment in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Fear of cancer recurrence was a mediating factor for the effects of symptom distress, contextual factors, and illness representation on psychological adjustment. Conclusions: Based on these results, interventions aimed at reducing symptom distress and FCR, and improving social support, optimism, and illness representations, may be useful for the successful psychological adjustment of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
AB - Purpose: A number of cancer patients experience fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), which affects their psychological adjustment. This study tested the hypothesized model of FCR to predict psychological adjustment in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: A total of 203 patients, who had been diagnosed with either breast cancer or colorectal cancer and were undergoing chemotherapy, were recruited from two university hospitals in Seoul, Korea. Data were collected using validated questionnaires and were analyzed using SPSS 24.0 and AMOS 25.0 program for structural equation modeling procedures. Results: The fit index of the hypothesized model was appropriate. Symptom distress, contextual factors, FCR, and illness representations had statistically significant direct, indirect, and total effects on psychological adjustment. These variables explained 76% of the total variance of the psychological adjustment in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Fear of cancer recurrence was a mediating factor for the effects of symptom distress, contextual factors, and illness representation on psychological adjustment. Conclusions: Based on these results, interventions aimed at reducing symptom distress and FCR, and improving social support, optimism, and illness representations, may be useful for the successful psychological adjustment of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
KW - Cancer patients
KW - Chemotherapy
KW - Fear of cancer recurrence
KW - Psychological adjustment
KW - Symptom distress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85077565118&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00520-019-05245-7
DO - 10.1007/s00520-019-05245-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 31900611
AN - SCOPUS:85077565118
SN - 0941-4355
VL - 28
SP - 4173
EP - 4181
JO - Supportive Care in Cancer
JF - Supportive Care in Cancer
IS - 9
ER -
