Life Orientation and Personality Attributes: Implications on Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) Among Diagnosed Cancer Patients in Ibadan, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53555/hsn.v2i6.270Keywords:
Dispositional Optimism, Personality, Posttraumatic Growth, CancerAbstract
This study examined life orientation and personality attributes determining posttraumatic growth among cancer patients in Ibadan. One hundred and twenty (120) diagnosed cancer patients participated in the study. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Hypotheses were analyzed using hierarchical regression. Results showed that age, gender, education, and knowledge of diagnosis significantly predict posttraumatic growth (F (4, 115) = 2.64, p < 0.05, R2 = 0.14). Life orientation, neuroticism, and openness were significant in predicting posttraumatic growth controlling for socio-demographic factors (F (7, 112) = 3.80, p <.001, R2 = 0.90). In conclusion, individuals with terminal illness can still experience growth and psychological wellness despite their traumatic experiences if healthy dispositions such as optimism and emotional stability are developed in them. We recommend involvement of mental health practitioners especially clinical psychologists in the management of patients with traumatic experience in order to assist attain optimal wellbeing.
Downloads
References
Antoni, M. H., Lehman, J. M., Kilboourn, K. M., Boyes, A. E., Culver, J. L., Alferi S. M., Yount, S. E., McGregor, B. A., Arena, P.L., Harris, S. D., & Price, A. A. (2001). Cognitive-behavioural stress-management intervention decreases the prevalence of depression and enhances benefit-finding among women under treatment for early state-breast cancer. Health Psychology, 20,20-32.
Bellizi, K. M., & Blank, T. O. (2006). Predicting posttraumatic growth in breast cancer survivors. Health Psychology, 25, 47-56.
Cardova, M. J., Giese-Davis, J, Golant, M., Kronenwetter, C., Chang, V., & Spiegel, D. (2007). Breast cancer as trauma: Posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medicine Settings, 14, 308-319.
Carver, Scheier, & Weintraub (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretical based approach. Journal of personality and social psychology, 56, 267-283
Cordova, M. (2008). Facilitating posttraumatic growing following cancer. In S. Joseph & P.A. Linley (Eds), Trauma, Recovery, and Growth: Positive Psychological Perspectives on Posttraumatic Stress. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Costa, P. and McCrae, R.(1992). Normal Personality Assessment in Clinical Practice: The NEO Personality Inventory. Psychological Assessment, 4, 5-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.4.1.5
Goldberg, L.R. (1992).The Development of Markers for the Big-Five Factor Structure. Psychological Assessment, 4, 26-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.4.1.26
Daiter, S., Larson, R., Weddington, W., &Ultmann J. (1988). Psychosocial symptomatology, personal growth, and development among adult patients following the diagnosis of leukemia or lymphoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 6, 613-617
Evers, A., Kraaimaat, F., Van-Lankveld, W., Jongen, P., Jacobs, J., & Bijlsma, J. (2001). Beyond unfavourable thinking: The illness cognition questionnaire for chronic diseases. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 1026-1036.
Feder, A., Southwick, S. M., Goetz, R. R., Wang, Y., Alonso, A., Smith, B. W., Buchholz, K. R., Waldeck, T., Ameli, R., Moore, J., Hain, R., Charney, D. S. & Vythilingam, M. (2008). Posttraumatic Growth in Former Vietnam Prisoners of War. Psychiatry. 71(4): 359-370
Gurevich, M., Devins, G. & Rodin, G. (2002). Stress responding syndromes and cancer: Conceptual and assessment issues. Psychosomatics, 43,259-281.
Harrington, S., McGurk, M. & Llewellyn, C. D. (2008).Positive consequences of head and neck cancer: key correlates of finding benefit. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 26(3), 43-62
Helgeson, V., Reynolds, K., & Tomich,P. (2006). A meta-analytic review of benefit finding and growth. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74, 797-816.
Kessler, R., Sonnega, A., Bromet,E., Huges, M., & Nelson. C. (2005). Posttraumaticstress disorder in the National Co-morbidity Survey. Achieves of General Psychiatry, 52, 1048-1060.
Linley, P., & Joseph, S. (2004). Positive change following trauma and adversity: A review. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 17, 11-21.
Milam, J., (2006). Posttraumatic growth and HIV disease progression. Journal of Consultingand Clinical Psychology, 74, 817-827.
Rieker, P., Edbril, S., &Garnick, M. (1985). Creative testis cancer therapy: Psychosocial Sequelae. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 3, 1117-1126.
Ross, M., &Wilson, A. (2002). It feels like yesterday: Self-esteem, valence of personal past experiences, and judgment of subjective distance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 792-803.
Russel, C., White, M., & White, C. (2006). Why me? Why now? Why Multiple Sclerosis? Making meaning and perceived quality of life in a Midwestern sample of patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Families, Systems, & Health, 24, 65-81.
Salsman, J., Segerstrom, S., Brechting, E., Carlson, C., & Andrykowski, M. (2008), Posttraumatic growth and PTSD symptomatology among colorectal cancer survivals: A three months longitudinal examination of cognitive processing. Psycho-oncology, 18, 30-41.
Scheier, M., Carver, C., & Bridges, M. (1994). Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-masteryand self-esteem): A reevaluation of the life orientation test. Journal of Personality and Social psychology, 67, 1063-1078.
Schulz, U., &Mohamed, N. (2004). Turning the Tide: Benefit finding after cancer surgery. Soc. Sci. Med. 59(3): 653-662.
Sears, S., Stanton, A., & Danoff-Burg, S. (2003). The yellow brick and the emerald city: Benefit finding, positive reappraisal coping, and posttraumatic growth in women with early-stage breast cancer. Health Psychology, 22, 487-497.
Seligman, M., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5-14.
Seligman, M. (2002). Positive Psychology, Positive prevention, and Positive Therapy. In C.R. Snyder & S.J. Lopez (Eds), Handbook of Positive Psychology (pp. 3-9). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
Suls, J., Lemos, K. & Stewart, H. (2002). Self-esteem, construal, and Comparisons with the self, friends, and peers.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 252-261.
Stanton et al., 2006cancer.frombenefitFinding(2007).Tallman, B., Altmaier, E., & Garcia, C.ofJournalCounselling Psychology, 4, 481-487
Tamres, L., Janicki, D., & Helgeson, V.(2002). Sex differences on coping behaviour: A meta-analytic review and an examination of relative coping. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 6, 2-30. Tedeschi, R., & Calhoun, L. (1995). Trauma and transformation: Growing in the aftermarsh of suffering. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Tedeschi, R., & Calhoun, L. (1996). The posttraumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9, 455-471.
Tedeschi, R., & Calhoun, L.(2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 1-18.
Thornton, A.,& Perez, M. (2006). Posttraumatic growth in prostate cancer survivors and their partners. Psycho-Oncology, 15, 285-296
Thornton, A.A.(2002). Perceiving benefits in cancer experience.Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 9, 153-165.
Urcuyo K., Boyers, A., Carver, C., & Antoni, M. (2005). Finding benefit in breast cancer: Relations with personality, coping, and concurrent well-being.Psychology and Health, 20, 175-192.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2016 gnpublication@
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
In consideration of the journal, Green Publication taking action in reviewing and editing our manuscript, the authors undersigned hereby transfer, assign, or otherwise convey all copyright ownership to the Editorial Office of the Green Publication in the event that such work is published in the journal. Such conveyance covers any product that may derive from the published journal, whether print or electronic. Green Publication shall have the right to register copyright to the Article in its name as claimant, whether separately
or as part of the journal issue or other medium in which the Article is included.
By signing this Agreement, the author(s), and in the case of a Work Made For Hire, the employer, jointly and severally represent and warrant that the Article is original with the author(s) and does not infringe any copyright or violate any other right of any third parties, and that the Article has not been published elsewhere, and is not being considered for publication elsewhere in any form, except as provided herein. Each author’s signature should appear below. The signing author(s) (and, in