Relations between coping responses and optimism–pessimism in predicting anticipatory psychological distress in surgical breast cancer patients

Individual differences in characteristics such as optimism, pessimism, and coping responses have been shown to contribute to variability in distress during stressful situations. However, the interrelationships among these characteristics are not well established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interrelations among optimism, pessimism, and coping in predicting distress levels among patients scheduled for surgery related to breast cancer. Sixty surgical patients (mean age = 52; SD = 12.21) completed the Brief Cope and the Life Orientation Test as a part of a presurgery take-home packet. Distress was measured with the Profile of Mood States in the waiting area, just prior to surgery. Results revealed that optimism and pessimism were directly related to distress levels prior to surgery (p < 0.05). Coping responses also were related to distress (p < 0.05); however, these effects appeared to be largely mediated by optimism and pessimism.