HOW COPING MEDIATES THE EFFECT OF OPTIMISM ON DISTRESS - A STUDY OF WOMEN WITH EARLY-STAGE BREAST-CANCER

At diagnosis, 59 breast cancer patients reported on their overall opti mism about life; 1 day presurgery, 10 days postsurgery, and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups, they reported their recent coping responses and distress levels. Optimism related inversely to distress at each po int, even controlling for prior distress. Acceptance, positive reframi ng, and use of religion were the most common coping reactions; denial and behavioral disengagement were the least common reactions. Acceptan ce and the use of humor prospectively predicted lower distress; denial and disengagement predicted more distress. Path analyses suggested th at several coping reactions played mediating roles in the effect of op timism on distress. Discussion centers on the role of various coping r eactions in the process of adjustment, the mechanisms by which disposi tional optimism versus pessimism appears to operate, third variable is sues, and applied implications.