Pathways to post-traumatic growth in cancer patients: moderated mediation and single mediation analyses with resilience, personality, and coping strategies

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders Vol. 279; pp. 692 - 700
• Main Authors: Gori, A., Topino, E., Sette, A., Cramer, H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.01.2021
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Cancer; coping strategies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Mediation Analysis; Middle Aged; moderated mediation; Neoplasms; Personality; post-traumatic growth; post-traumatic symptoms; Posttraumatic Growth, Psychological; resilience; Resilience, Psychological; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; post-traumatic growth; coping strategies; resilience; post-traumatic symptoms; moderated mediation; Cancer
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.10.044

•Pathways to post-traumatic symptoms or growth in cancer patients were analyzed.•Resilience levels predicts post-traumatic symptoms and post-traumatic growth.•Avoidance or positive attitude mediated the paths to post-traumatic symptoms/growth.•Openness moderated the relationship between resilience and positive attitude.•Results may contribute in tailoring psychological interventions for cancer patients. Cancer diagnosis is a potentially traumatic experience, which could generate significant long-lasting emotional distress, but also positive changes linked to post-traumatic growth (PTG). This study aimed to analyze the role of resilience, coping, and personality in determining PTG or post-traumatic symptoms, and to test a moderated mediation model and a single mediation model in a sample of individuals diagnosed with cancer. A sample of 154 individuals diagnosed with cancer (Mage = 51.4, SD = 11.25) completed the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory, Impact of Event Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Ten Item Personality Inventory, and Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced after providing written informed consent. Results showed that the impact of resilience in PTG is partially mediated by positive attitude, with a significant and negative moderating effect of openness on the relationship between resilience and positive attitude. Furthermore, resilience negatively predicted the impact of trauma, with a partial mediation of avoidance strategies. The cross-sectional nature of the study, the use of only self-report measures, heterogeneity of the sample, and the risk of influence of unobserved prognostic variables should be kept in mind while interpreting the results. The findings showed that the level of resilience predicted PTG or post-traumatic symptoms, both directly and indirectly, with different coping strategies as mediators. Furthermore, the lower the level of openness reported by participants, the higher the resilience induced by positive attitude. These findings may significantly contribute toward tailoring interventions for improving the mental health of cancer patients.