Exploring the Relationships between Posttraumatic Growth, Wisdom, and Quality of Life in Older Cancer Survivors.

Seung-Kyoung Yang,Yeongmi Ha

doi:10.31557/apjcp.2019.20.9.2667

Abstract

Objective:The number of older cancer survivors is steadily rising with a growing aging population, and a great interest in evaluating the quality of life is emerged. Although understanding how to improve the quality of life in older cancer survivors is critical as the number of older survivors continues to grow in communities, little is known about empirical evidence regarding predictors of the quality of life in older cancer survivors. This study aimed to examine relationships between posttraumatic growth, wisdom, and quality of life in older cancer survivors. Methods:A convenience sample of older cancer survivors after completing cancer treatments (n=121) participated from one public health center, and they filled out self-report questionnaires on measures of posttraumatic growth, wisdom, and quality of life. Results:As results of multiple regression analysis, the most significant factor on each domain of the quality of life has shown that higher levels of subjective economic status were associated with significant improvement of four domains of quality of life, and wisdom and posttraumatic growth were associated with significant improvement in social/family well-being. Conclusion:This study highlights predictors of each domain of quality of life that subjective economic status, posttraumatic growth and wisdom significantly affected the quality of life in older cancer survivors. Findings indicate that psychological interventions need to be developed and implemented for older cancer survivors to prevent long-term effects of cancer and to increase their quality of life. For improving their quality of life, primary care providers or community health professionals need to develop tailored interventions, such as home-based cancer survivorship programs.

Highlights

Advances in early detection and new cancer treatments have led to an increase in cancer survivors
As results of multiple regression analysis, the most significant factor on each domain of the quality of life has shown that higher levels of subjective economic status were associated with significant improvement of four domains of quality of life, and wisdom and posttraumatic growth were associated with significant improvement in social/family well-being
Our research has found that the mean score of physical well-being was the highest in older cancer survivors, and that of social well-being was the lowest

Summary

Introduction

Advances in early detection and new cancer treatments have led to an increase in cancer survivors. The period after completing cancer treatments is often described as more difficult than the treatment itself because long term effects of cancer treatments such as fatigue, depression, sleep disorders, functional disability, and pain, are highly prevalent in cancer survivors (Wu and Harden, 2015; Mayer et al, 2017) Such bothersome symptoms after cancer treatments continues to have a negative impact on overall quality of life in cancer survivors both physically and psychologically, and the QoL of cancer survivors is known to be poor (Cimprich et al, 2002; Stanton et al, 2005; Wu and Harden, 2015)

Methods

Results

Conclusion