Relationship between Psychological States and Coping in Reproductive Cancer Patients in the Context of the Pandemic

Abstract

Abstract Introduction  Cancer is known as a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells with the potential to proliferate and destroy body tissues. While it is not uncommon to observe changes in psychological states among patients with cancer, the pandemic situation has been reported to have an impact more severely. Objectives This study attempts to understand the psychological problems of cancer patients, and the process of coping adopted by reproductive cancer patients during the period of the pandemic. Materials and Methods  This study uses a correlation research design and the tools used for assessment were the four-dimensional symptom questionnaire and Brief COPE inventory. Through nonrandom sampling, a sample of 120 cancer patients diagnosed with reproductive cancer, both male and female from the regional cancer center and private cancer hospitals in Hyderabad, was recruited for the pandemic period from May 2020 to September 2021. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression statistical analysis methods were implemented. Results  Significant negative correlation was observed between psychological states and coping. Using multiple linear regression analysis, it was found that distress and depression predict problem-solving coping, distress and anxiety predict emotion-solving coping, and distress predicts adaptive coping. Conclusion  This study examines the psychological factors and coping methods in adapting to the dual challenges of illness and potential risk of infection transmission, and emphasizes designing an effective intervention. During the coronavirus disease 2019 crisis, the lack of support through psychological counseling to address their coping mechanisms to face the challenges is also glaring.