Dynamika przystosowania do choroby i jej akceptacji u pacjentów z nowotworami głowy i szyi

Abstract

Psychological adjustment to disease and acceptance of illness are essential issues in psychooncology. They describe the patients’ psychological functioning after the diagnosis of cancer and their further adaptation to the disease. The aim of the study was to assess the dynamics of adjustment to disease and acceptance of illness in patients with head and neck malignancies. The study group comprised patients with malignant head and neck tumours operated at the Clinic of Otolaryngology in Krakow. The psychological measurements were performed by means of questionnaires (mini-MAC and AIS) before and after surgery, as well as after several months delay. The influence of medical and demographical variables on acceptance of illness and adjustment to disease was analyzed. The research proved that the destructive style of adjustment to disease and acceptance of disease change over time of treatment. The influence of certain medical and demographical variables on the analyzed issue was also demonstrated. Adjustment to disease is a dynamic process. With time the patients’ style of coping with cancer becomes more active. Acceptance of illness is constant over time.