Different coping modes and their relationships with depression, performance status, quality of life, and side effects of cancer treatments among stomach cancer patients in China

This study examined the associations between coping styles and the outcomes of cancer treatments. In-person interviews were performed for the patients with stomach cancer. For three subscale scores of MCMQ, their partial correlation coefficients with patients´ side effects of treatments were 0.042 (P=0.163) for confrontation, -0.007 (P=0.803) for avoidance, and 0.142 (P<;0.0001) for acceptance-resignation, respectively, with depression status were -0.069 (P=0.021), -0.027 (P=0.364), and 0.371 (P<;0.0001), respectively, and with total score of EORTC QLQ-C30 were 0.065 (P=0.555), 0.258 (P=0.018), and -0.275 (P=0.011), respectively. Confrontation and avoidance were not associated with performance status (P>;0.05), and the patients with poor performance status had the highest mean sore of acceptance-resignation (P<;0.05). Coping strategies play an important role in the outcome of cancer treatments. The patients adopted acceptance-resignation frequently have more severe side effects of cancer treatment, higher probability of suffering from depression, poor performance status, and poor quality of life.