Dyadic effects of coping strategies, time perspectives, and personality on the quality of life of cancer patients and their caregivers

Abstract

Objective

Researchers are interested in studying whether the quality of life (QoL) of cancer patients and caregivers is influenced by internal psycho-behavioral processes (temporality and coping strategies) and the personality traits that they or their relatives experience. We examined these associations in a sample of patient-caregiver dyads using the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM).

Methods

This cross-sectional study involved 156 cancer patient-caregiver dyads. The self-reported data included QoL (Short-Form 36), coping strategies (BriefCope), time perspectives (Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory), and personality (Big Five Inventory). The APIM was used to test the dyadic effects individualizing actor (degree to which the individual's characteristics were associated with their QoL) and partner (degree to which the individual's characteristics were associated with the QoL of the other dyad member) effects.

Results

Actor effects were found for patients and caregivers: the use of positive thinking and future/present-hedonistic perspectives were associated with higher QoL; the use of avoidance and past-negative perspective were associated with lower QoL. Partner effects were also found, highlighting the specific mechanisms of the interconnections in the patient-caregiver dyad. The patient's QoL was higher when the caregiver used social support and experienced openness. The caregiver's QoL was lower when the patient used social support and avoidance strategies and experienced future perspective.

Conclusions

The examination of the relationships between individuals' QoL and their internal psycho-behavioral processes and personality traits will have several applications in the routine clinical management. Individual-level and dyad-level interventions should be proposed: cognitive-rehabilitation, emotional and cognitive self-regulation for time perspectives and personality constructs.

from #ORL-AlexandrosSfakianakis via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2eIjoDj