Skip to main content
Log in

The relationship of uncertainty, control, commitment, and threat of recurrence to coping strategies used by women diagnosed with breast cancer

  • Published:
Journal of Behavioral Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to investigate the relationship between commitments, uncertainty about the cancer situation, threat of recurrence, and control of the cancer situation and the set of coping strategies used by women to cope with their breast cancer diagnosis. Lazarus and Folkman's theory of psychological stress provided the framework. The sample consisted of 227 nonhospitalized women who had had a diagnosis of breast cancer. Two sets of canonical variate sets were significant at the .001 level with canonical correlations of .52 and .47. The first canonical set indicated that the use of escape-avoidance and accepting responsibility but not positive reappraisal strategies were characteristics of those women who had low commitment and low control together with high uncertainty and high threat of recurrence. The second set indicated that seeking social support, as well as the use of planful problem solving, escape-avoidance, positive reappraisal, and self-controlling strategies was adopted by women who had high threat of recurrence and high control.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Antonovsky, A. (1979).Health, Stress and Coping, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christman, N. J., McConnell, E. A., Pfeiffer, C., Webster, K. K., Schmitt, M., and Ries, J. (1988). Uncertainty, coping, and distress following myocardial infarction: Transition from hospital to home.Res. Nursing Health 11: 71–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, J. L. (1974). Task uncertainty, decision importance, and group reinforcement as determinants of communication processes in groups.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 29: 6191–6225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crumbaugh, J. C. (1968). Cross-validation of purpose-in-life test based on Frankl's concepts.J. Individ. Psychol. 24: 74–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crumbaugh, J. C., and Maholick, L. T. (1969).Manual of Instructions for the Purpose in Life Test: Manual 168, Psychometric Affiliates, Brookport, Ill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elmore, T. M., and Chambers, E. D., (1969). Anomie, existential neurosis, and personality: Relevance for counselling.Proceedings of the 75th Annual Convention, American Psychological Association, pp. 341–341.

  • Erickson, J. R. (1988).Coping with Uncertainty for Parents of III Infants, Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona, Tucson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Folkman, S. (1984). Personal control and stress and coping processes: A theoretical analysis.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 46(4): 839–852.

    Google Scholar 

  • Folkman, S., and Lazarus, R. S. (1980). An analysis of coping in middle-aged community sample.J. Health Soc. Behav. 21: 219–239.

    Google Scholar 

  • Folkman, S., and Lazarus, R. S. (1985). If it changes it must be a process: Study of emotion and coping during three stages of a college examination.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 46(4): 839–852.

    Google Scholar 

  • Folkman, S., Lazarus, R., Gruen, R. J., and DeLongis, A. (1986a). Appraisal, coping, health status, and psychological symptoms.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 50(3): 571–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Folkman, S., Lazarus, R. S., Dunkel-Schetter, C., DeLongis, A., and Gruen, R. J. (1986b). The dynamics of a stressful encounter: Cognitive appraisal, coping and encounter outcomes.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 50(5): 992–1003.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frankl, V. E. (1969).The Will to Meaning: Principles and Application of Logotherapy, World, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frankl, V. E. (1978).The Unheard Cry for Meaning, Tochstone, Simon and Schuster, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hollingshead, A. B. (1975).Four factor index of social status, Unpublished working paper, Department of Sociology, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ilfield, F. W. (1980). Coping styles of Chicago adults: Description.J. Hum. Stress 6(2): 2–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobasa, S. C. (1979). Stressful life events, personality, and health: An inquiry into hardiness.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 39: 1–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S. (1981). The stress and coping paradigm. In Eisdorfer, C. Cohen, D., Kleinman, A., and Maxim, P. (eds.),Models for Clinical Psychopathology, Spectrum, New York, pp. 177–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S., and Folkman, S. (1984a).Stress, Appraisal, and Coping, Springer, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S., and Folkman, S. (1984b). Coping and adaptation. In Gentry, W. D. (ed),Handbook of Behavioral Medicine, Guilford Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S., and Launier, R. (1978). Stress-related transactions between person and environment. In Pervin, L. A., and Lewis, M. (eds.)Perspectives in Interactional Psychology, Plenum, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S., Averili, J. R., and Opton, E. M. (1974). The psychology of coping: Issues In research and assessment. In Coelho, G. U., Hamburg, D. A., and Adams, J. E. (eds.),Coping and Adaptation, Basic Books, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mages, N. L., and Mendelsohn, G. A. (1982). Effects of cancer on patients' lives: A personological approach.Health Psychology: A Handbook, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, pp. 252–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R. (1984). Situational determinants of coping responses: Loss, threat, and challenge.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 46(4): 919–928,

    Google Scholar 

  • McNett, S. C. (1987). Social support, threat, and coping responses and effectiveness in the functionally disabled.Nursing Res. 36(2): 98–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishel, M. H. (1981). The measurement of uncertainty in illness.Nursing Res. 30: 258–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishel, M. H. (1988). Coping with uncertainty in illness.Proceedings of the Stress, Coping Processes, and Health Outcomes: New Directions for Theory Development and Research, University of Rochester and Sigma Theta Tau International, Rochester, N.Y.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishel, M. H., Hostetter, T., King, B., and Graham, V. (1984). Predictors of psychosocial adjustment in patients newly diagnosed with gynecological cancer.Cancer Nursing 7(4): 291–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monat, A., Averill, J. R., and Lazarus, R. S. (1972). Anticipatory stress and coping reactions under various conditions of uncertainty.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 24: 237–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Northouse, L. L. (1981). Mastectomy patients and the fear of recurrence.Cancer Nursing 4: 213–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parkes, K. R. (1984). Locus of control, cognitive appraisal, and coping in stressful episodes.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 46(3): 665–668.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfeiffer, E. (1977). Psychopathology and social pathology. In Birren, J. E., and Schaie, K. W. (eds.),Handbook of Psychology of Aging, Van Nostrand Reinhold. New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, S. A. (1981).Resources, Uncertainty and Coping Decisions in Breast Cancer Patients, Doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona, Tucson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, J. B., and Kardinal, C. G. (1977). Adaptive coping mechanisms in adult acute leukemia patients in remission.JAMA 238: 952–954.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheier, M. F., Weintraub, J. K., and Carver, C. S., (1986). Coping with stress: Divergent strategies of optimists and pessimists.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 51(6): 1257–1264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmale, A. H., Marrow, G. R., Schmitt, M. H., Adler, L. M., Enelow, A., Murawski, B. J., and Gates, C. (1983). Well-being of cancer survivors.Psychosom. Med. 45(2): 163–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stone, A. A., and Neale, J. M. (1984). New measure of daily coping: Development and preliminary results.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 46(4): 892–906.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick, B. G., and Fidell, L. S. (1983).Using Multivariate Statistics, Harper & Row, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. E., Lichtman, R. R., and Wood, J. V. (1984). Attributions, beliefs about control, and adjustment to breast cancer.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 46(3): 489–502.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, J. M., and Weiner, E. A. (1974). Psychological differences among groups of critically ill hospitalized patietns, non-critically ill hospitalized patients, and well controls.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 42(2): 274–279.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vaillant, G. E. (1977).Adaptation to Life, Little, Brown, Boston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Viney, L. L., and Wesbrook, M. T. (1984). Coping with chronic illness: Strategy preferences, changes in preferences and associated emotional reactions.J. Chron. Dis. 37(6): 489–502.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitaliano, P. P., Russo, J., Carr, J. E., Majuro, R. D., and Becker, J. (1985). The ways of coping checklist: Revision and psychometric properties.Multivar. Behav. Res. 20: 3–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weisman, A. D. (1979).Coping with Cancer, McGraw-Hill, New York.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

This research was supported in part by National Health Research and Development Program in Canada through a National Health Fellowship.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hilton, B.A. The relationship of uncertainty, control, commitment, and threat of recurrence to coping strategies used by women diagnosed with breast cancer. J Behav Med 12, 39–54 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00844748

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00844748

Key words

Navigation