Coping with loss of ability vs. acceptance of disease in women after breast cancer treatment

Abstract

Aim

To answer the question: is there a correlation between copying with the loss of ability and the acceptance of disease?

Background

The loss of ability is the beginning of a process of dealing with a widely understood dysfunction and its consequences. This happens owing to the lifting of the barriers that emerged due to the loss of ability and through the acquisition of skills that help an individual find their way in the new reality.

Materials and methods

The study included 90 patients with history of breast cancer. They were divided into two groups- I: up to five years from diagnosis, II: more than five years from diagnosis. The study was conducted using the Questionnaire on Coping With Ability Loss by P. Wolski, Acceptance of Illness Scale – B.J. Felton, T.A. Revenson, G.A. Hinrichsen, adapted by: Z. Juczyński.

Results

Group I: it is positive weak correlation, meaning that the higher level of acceptance in the QCAL test, the higher acceptance of illness. Group II: there is no relation between acceptance of illness and the QCAL test acceptance scale and no relation between depression and the level of acceptance.

Conclusions

The more depressed a patient is and the less successful they are in dealing with the loss of ability, the lower their level of acceptance of illness. On the other hand, in time, it is struggle with the disability that plays more important role in the acceptance of the disease than the impact of negative emotions.