Department of Psychology

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Browsing Department of Psychology by Subject "acceptance"

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    Relations of perceived injustice to psycho-spiritual outcomes in advanced lung and prostate cancer: Examining the role of acceptance and meaning making
    (Wiley, 2022-12) Secinti, Ekin; Wu, Wei; Krueger, Ellen F.; Hirsh, Adam T.; Torke, Alexia M.; Hanna, Nasser H.; Adra, Nabil; Durm, Gregory A.; Einhorn, Lawrence; Pili, Roberto; Jalal, Shadia I.; Mosher, Catherine E.; Psychology, School of Science
    Objective: Many advanced cancer patients struggle with anxiety, depressive symptoms, and anger toward God and illness-related stressors. Patients may perceive their illness as an injustice (i.e., appraise their illness as unfair, severe, and irreparable or blame others for their illness), which may be a risk factor for poor psychological and spiritual outcomes. This study examined relations between cancer-related perceived injustice and psycho-spiritual outcomes as well as potential mediators of these relationships. Methods: Advanced lung (n=102) and prostate (n=99) cancer patients completed a one-time survey. Using path analyses, we examined a parallel mediation model including the direct effects of perceived injustice on psycho-spiritual outcomes (i.e., anxiety, depressive symptoms, anger about cancer, anger towards God) and the indirect effects of perceived injustice on psycho-spiritual outcomes through two parallel mediators: meaning making and acceptance of cancer. We then explored whether these relations differed by cancer type. Results: Path analyses indicated that perceived injustice was directly and indirectly – through acceptance of cancer but not meaning making – associated with psycho-spiritual outcomes. Results did not differ between lung and prostate cancer patients. Conclusions: Advanced cancer patients with greater perceived injustice are at higher risk for poor psycho-spiritual outcomes. Acceptance of cancer, but not meaning making, explained relationships between cancer-related perceived injustice and psycho-spiritual outcomes. Findings support testing acceptance-based interventions to address perceived injustice in advanced cancer patients.