COPING STRATEGIES AMONG FEMALE CZECH BREAST CANCER PATIENTS

Objectives. To investigate coping strategies used by Czech breast cancer patients with particular attention to the Type C coping style, and the variation of coping styles according to treatment response. Sample and setting. This retrospective, cross-sectional study used quantitative and qualitative methods. Coping strategies were assessed by the Stress Coping Style Questionnaire (SVF-78). An open-ended question identified Type C strategies and explored patients' other reactions to their diagnosis. Hypotheses. Maladaptive Type C coping style is common among Czech female breast cancer patients. Statistical analyses. The statistical significance of differences in continuous variables was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test and the Fisher's exact test in categorical variables using. The Mann-Whitney U test was applied in order to assess the statistical significance of differences in using SVF-78 coping strategies firstly between patients and controls and secondly between patients in remission and patients with progression/ relapse. The statistical significance of differences in using SVF-78 coping strategies among four groups of patients (based on the open-ended question) was tested using the Kruskal Wallis test. Results. Complete cohort consisted of 118 breast cancer patients who used significantly less self-accusation (p