STAGE-II BREAST-CANCER - DIFFERENCES BETWEEN 4 COPING PATTERNS IN SIDE-EFFECTS DURING ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY

Fifty-six women with stage II breast cancer receiving adjuvant chemoth erapy were recruited for a study evaluating and comparing coping patte rns for differences in physical and psychological side effects during treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy. Cluster analyses were used to sp lit women into confrontive, avoidant-confrontive, avoidant-resigned, a nd resigned coping clusters. Side-effect measurements were taken on th e day of adjuvant chemotherapy infusion and 3 and 7 days later. Repeat ed measures ANCOVAs indicated that coping clusters predicted significa nt variance in physical, psychological, and total side effects when va riance in covariates was held constant. Confrontive subjects reported significantly fewer psychological and physical symptoms than avoidant- confrontive and avoidant-resigned copers. Confrontive copers also repo rted fewer side effects than resigned copers, but this difference was not significant when differences in covariate distributions were contr olled. Particularly robust differences were noted when confrontive cop ers were compared with avoidant-confrontive copers. Results suggest th at a critical component in optimal coping may be a willingness to disc uss and think about illness. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.