Resilience and self-efficacy as supportive resources in accepting a spouse’s cancer

Coping strategies as parallel mediators

Dariusz Krok

University of Opole, Institute of Psychology

dr Marcin Łukasz Moroń

University of Silesia, Institute of Psychology

Ewa Telka

The Maria Sklodowska-Curie Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology in Gliwice, Poland

Abstract

Associations between resilience, self-efficacy, and coping strategies play an important role in the process of accepting the disease in cancer patients by their spouses. This study aims to examine whether coping strategies act as parallel mediators between resilience, self-efficacy, and the acceptance of the partner's illness by the spouse. Two hundred and thirty-two people were examined: 106 women (M = 55.36, SD = 14.13) and 126 men (M = 62.15, SD = 11.55). Their ages ranged from 24 to 85 years (M = 59.06, SD = 13.20). Questionnaires measuring resilience, self-efficacy, coping, and illness acceptance were utilized. Correlational and mediational analyses were employed to examine the mediation effects. The findings demonstrated that resilience and self-efficacy were positively correlated with both the overall score of illness acceptance and its three dimensions (satisfaction with life, reconciliation with the disease, and self-distancing from the disease) in spouses of cancer patients. Furthermore, coping strategies were positively associated with illness acceptance. The main result revealed that problem-focused coping and meaning-focused coping served as parallel mediators in the relationship between resilience and self-efficacy with illness acceptance. This suggests that the way in which spouses cope with the stress caused by their partners' cancer determines the utilization of supportive resources in accepting the partner's illness.

Keywords:

resilience, self-efficacy, spouses of cancer patients, families of cancer patients, coping strategies, illness acceptance

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Published
2024-01-27

Cited by

Krok, D., Moroń, M., & Telka, E. (2024). Resilience and self-efficacy as supportive resources in accepting a spouse’s cancer: Coping strategies as parallel mediators. Family Forum, 13, 65–84. https://doi.org/10.25167/FF/5072

Authors

Dariusz Krok 

Dariusz Krok, Ph.D. in psychology, habilitation in psychology, habilitation in theology, currently working as University Professor at the Department of Health Psychology and Quality of Life, Institute of Psychology, Opole University. His current research concentrates on the domains of social psychology, personality psychology, and psychology of religion. He is author of a few books and a number of peer-review articles. At the moment he conducts research on coping strategies and well-being in clinical groups. Main focus is on: (1) relationships among personal resources, coping, and quality of life, (2) relations between religion and family, (2) the outcomes of coping with stress on adjustment to cancer among individuals and their families.

E-MAIL: dkrok@uni.opole.pl


Authors

dr Marcin Łukasz Moroń 

Marcin Moroń, Ph.D. in psychology. He is currently working as Associate Professor at the Institute of Psychology, University of Silesia in Katowice. His research interests are relational aggression, emotion regulation and psychopathology, evolutionary approach to attractiveness and self-presentation. He published articles in academic journals, e.g. Personality and Individual Differences, Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, Archives of Sexual Behavior.

E-MAIL: marcin.moron@us.edu.pl


Authors

Ewa Telka 

Ewa Telka, Ph.D. in medicine. Her academic work focuses on medical aspects of cancer, radiotherapy, palliative care, pain treatment, and health psychology. She has published a number of articles printed in academic journals, e.g. Psycho-Oncology, Journal of Religion and Health. Her research covers areas related to medical and psychological factors responsible for experiencing pain in cancer patients. She is currently working as Associate Professor at The Maria Sklodowska-Curie Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology in Gliwice, Poland.
E-MAIL: etelka@io.gliwice.pl



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