Stress and Coping in Patients With Cancer With Depression and Sleep Disturbance

Objectives: To evaluate for differences in global, cancer-specific, and cumulative life stress, as well as resilience and use of various coping strategies among five groups (no depression or sleep disturbance, no depression and moderate sleep disturbance, subsyndromal depression and very high sleep disturbance, moderate depression and moderate sleep disturbance [Both Moderate]; and high depression and very high sleep disturbance [Both High]).

Sample & Setting: Patients (N = 1,331) receiving chemotherapy were recruited from outpatient oncology clinics.

Methods & Variables: Measures of global, cancer-specific, and cumulative life stress, resilience, and coping were obtained. Differences were evaluated using parametric and nonparametric tests.

Results: Global and cancer-specific stress scores increased as joint profiles worsened. Both Moderate and Both High classes had cancer-specific stress scores suggestive of post-traumatic stress. Both Moderate and Both High classes reported higher occurrence rates for several stressful life events and higher use of disengagement coping. Both Moderate and Both High classes had resilience scores below the normative score for the United States.

Implications for Nursing: Clinicians need to screen vulnerable patients for post-traumatic stress disorder and implement interventions to reduce stress.