Strategies used in coping with a cancer diagnosis predict meaning in life for survivors.

The longitudinal relationship between women's coping with a diagnosis of breast cancer and their self-reported meaning in life 2 years later was examined, revealing that positive strategies for coping predicted significant variance in the sense of meaning inlife.

Abstract

The search for meaning in life is part of the human experience. A negative life event may threaten perceptions about meaning in life, such as the benevolence of the world and one's sense of harmony and peace. The authors examined the longitudinal relationship between women's coping with a diagnosis of breast cancer and their self-reported meaning in life 2 years later. Multiple regression analyses revealed that positive strategies for coping predicted significant variance in the sense of meaning in life--feelings of inner peace, satisfaction with one's current life and the future, and spirituality and faith--and the absence of such strategies predicted reports of loss of meaning and confusion (ps < .01). The importance and process of finding meaning in the context of a life stressor are discussed.