Self-esteem and coping strategies in adolescent cancer patients during the period of illness and follow-up

  1. Diego José Sáez Rodríguez 1
  2. Juan Manuel Ortigosa Quiles 1
  3. Antonio Riquelme Marin 1
  4. Raquel Suriá Martínez 2
  1. 1 Universidad de Murcia
    info

    Universidad de Murcia

    Murcia, España

    ROR https://ror.org/03p3aeb86

  2. 2 Universitat d'Alacant
    info

    Universitat d'Alacant

    Alicante, España

    ROR https://ror.org/05t8bcz72

Journal:
EJIHPE: European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education

ISSN: 2174-8144,  2254-9625

Year of publication: 2024

Volume: 14

Issue: 5

Pages: 1128-1139

Type: Article

DOI: 10.3390/EJIHPE14050074 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

More publications in: EJIHPE: European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education

Abstract

The importance of self-esteem during the course of oncological illness has been welldocumented by some previous studies. However, data assessing its association with various coping strategies, especially considering the period of illness, are still scarce. The objective of this study is to analyze the differences in coping strategies among oncological adolescents, taking into account their self-esteem, illness period, age, and sex. A total of 201 oncological patients between the ages of 12 and 17 from three different Spanish cities were included in this study. All of them were asked to answer a tailored questionnaire, encompassing information about age, sex, and illness period. Additionally, the coping strategies were measured using the ACS scale, while self-esteem was evaluated using the SENA questionnaire. The results demonstrated that male adolescents and older individuals exhibited higher levels of self-esteem. The main coping strategies associated with higher self-esteem were “ignore the problem”, “focus on positive”, “physical recreation”, and “wishful thinking” both during the treatment and the follow-up phases. We conclude that higher self-esteem is associated with some of the coping strategies such as “focus on positive”, “ignore the problem”, and “wishful thinking”. Sociodemographic variables influence the relationship between self-esteem and coping strategies, but no differences were found regarding the period of illness.

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