Role of perceived illness and self-blame on psychosocial and physical adjustments among cancer patients, India: Moderating effect of type D personality

Abstract

Introduction: Head-and-neck cancer patients are at a greater risk of suffering, yet little is known about the factors contributing to psychosocial and physical adjustments. Objective: The present study examined the association of cognitive attribute such as illness perception and self-blame with psychosocial adjustment and positive health changes (PHCs), with type D personality as a moderating variable. Methods: A survey of 66 eligible patients (34 males and 32 females with mean = 51.68 and standard deviation [SD] = 15.26) was recruited from 2 different hospitals in Assam, India. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the patients from early Stages I and II. The selected participants were divided into two groups: patients below 45 years and above 45 years. The participants were assessed by using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, Self-blame Questionnaire, Type D Personality Questionnaire, Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale, and PHC Questionnaire. Results: The result of the study indicated patients experiencing overall poorer psychosocial adjustment (mean = 55.17 and SD = 14.26). In addition, self-blame, illness perception, and type D personality were found to significantly relating to psychosocial and physical adjustments (P < 0.05). While assessing the moderating effect, negative affectivity (NA) was found to moderate the relationship between illness perception and physical health changes (β = 1.09, P < 0.001). The finding suggested that illness perception and NA had a statistically significant effect on outcome (β = 0.14, P < 0.001; β = 1.08, P < 0.001). Furthermore, gender differences and age-wise differences were revealed regarding adjustment among the patients. Conclusion: Therefore, encouraging positive beliefs and thoughts among the cancer survivors, with interventions to manage negative emotions at a very initial stage, would promote them to have a healthier future.