Normalization of the Mini-MAC (Mental Adjustment to Cancer) Questionnaire among Cancer Patients

Cancer is associated with discomfort and many changes in patients’ lives to which they must adapt. The main objective of the study was to assess the use of the mini-MAC questionnaire scale among persons diagnosed with malignant cancer and to develop standards allowing differentiation of patients with diagnosed cancer in terms of their style of adjustment to the disease. The mini-MAC questionnaire is a widely used tool in assessing coping strategies among cancer patients. Sten standards have been developed to determine the level of results on the questionnaire scales in the low–average–high categories. The study included 1187 patients diagnosed with malignant cancer who are covered by outpatient care at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie Institute—Oncology Center in Warsaw. The questionnaire concerning mental adjustment to cancer was used (mini-MAC). Patients with cancer most often adopt strategies of fighting spirit and positive reevaluation. The variables that differentiate the results most significantly include gender, presence of metastasis, and the state of undergoing chemotherapy. The mini-MAC questionnaire should be a tool for psycho-oncological diagnosis of patients’ attitudes towards cancer. The obtained results indicate that cancer patients are characterized by their constructive style of adjustment to the disease.

Pain, acceptance of illness, adjustment to life with cancer and coping strategies in prostate cancer patients

INTRODUCTION

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of carcinoma in men. The rate of prostate cancer has increased approximately fivefold lover the last 30 years. The purpose of the study was to evaluate coping strategies, pain management, illness acceptance, and adjustment to cancer in patients diagnosed with prostate carcinoma and the effect of socioeconomic variables on the above-mentioned issues.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included 228 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. The questionnaire interview consisted of demographic questions and four psychometric tests: BPCQ, measuring the influence of factors affecting pain management, CSQ, designed to evaluate pain coping strategies, the AIS questionnaire, measuring disease acceptance, and the Mini-Mac.

RESULTS

Pain locus of control scores in prostate cancer patients are distributed evenly across all three BPCQ subscales. The top mean score was observed in the area of beliefs that powerful others (doctors) control pain. Increased behavioral activity was the most frequently selected coping strategy (mean score = 18.27). The average level of disease acceptance in study patients was 30.39, with a standard deviation of 8.07. The results were differentiated by education (p = 0.08) and income (p = 0.012). The most frequently indicated coping strategies were fighting spirit (mean score = 22.46) and positive re-evaluation (mean score = 22.04).

CONCLUSIONS

The main belief about pain control in prostate cancer patients is that powerful others (doctors) control pain. The study patients cope with disease constructively. The main socioeconomic variables which differentiate the scores obtained across all tests are income and education.