Abstract
Objective: To determine the coping and adaptive capabilities in patients with cancer undergoing treatment. Methodology: This was a quantitative and descriptive cross-sectional study; the sample consisted of 100 patients with a cancer diagnosis who received chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatment between June and August 2019, meeting the inclusion criteria. The Coping and Adaptation Processing Scale (CAPS) was used. Results: 53 % of the patients participating in the study presented high coping and adaptive capabilities; 40 % presented medium capabilities, and 7 % presented low capabilities. Conclusion: Continuous follow-up is extremely important throughout the disease process; having a romantic partner becomes a protective factor since patients feel heard and cared for, which motivates them to follow through with the treatment. In the nursing field, knowing the experience of those who live with an illness allows for transcending and impacting care by providing holistic attention to patients.
Highlights
Cancer is a disease that causes more than eight million deaths each year worldwide [1] and causes the largest number of premature deaths [2]
A total of 100 users with a diagnosis of cancer participated, who were chosen non-probabilistically and by convenience, and who met the following selection criteria: i) being over 18 years of age, ii) having a diagnosis of cancer recorded in the clinical history for more than three months, iii) undergoing active chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatment, and iv) expressing their voluntary acceptance to participate by signing the informed consent form
The Coping and Adaptation Processing Scale (CAPS) was used, which is suitable for measuring coping processes, designed by Callista Roy in 2004; this instrument consists of 47 items that, by using short statements, describe the way individuals respond to a crisis or a difficult event and is scored on a Likert scale [8]
Summary
Cancer is a disease that causes more than eight million deaths each year worldwide [1] and causes the largest number of premature deaths [2]. The diagnosis of cancer has a significant impact on biological, psychological, physical, and social aspects. It involves multiple challenges and, the experience of having cancer is highly distressing since it forces individuals to deal with affliction, deterioration, death, transcendence, concepts for each of which they must seek a personal meaning. Callista Roy defines coping capability as the innate or acquired ability to generate a response, using new strategies to adapt effectively to challenging changes [5]. Cancer leads patients to face various changes in their lives which generate negative feelings and emotions in those who suffer from it and in their families; likewise, if effective coping strategies are used, the psychosocial effects produced by this disease can be mitigated [6]. The nursing field needs to know how to promote health for its patients, and how to help them cope with the changing episodes and challenges posed by their disease [7]
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