Fear, Anxiety, and Coping Self-efficacy of Individuals With Cancer During COVID-19 and Predictive Risk Factors: A Descriptive and Correlational Study.
Tuğba Karataş, Sultan Ayaz-Alkaya, Nuriye Özdemir
PMID 37037701WHAT IT FOUND
Most cancer patients had low coronavirus anxiety, but fear and coping self-efficacy varied by health perception.
Poor perceived mental health predicted higher fear and lower coping self-efficacy. Screen patients' self-rated health to identify those needing psychosocial support.
Key findings
01Only 2.3% of participants had dysfunctional anxiety related to coronavirus, while mean fear scores indicated moderate levels.
02Poor perception of mental health was associated with higher fear of coronavirus and lower coping self-efficacy.
03Duration of diagnosis and the boosting effect of vaccination on self-confidence were significant predictors of coronavirus fear.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was single-center and conducted only with Turkish-speaking patients, limiting generalizability to other cultural or linguistic groups. Participants were aged 18 to 65, so findings do not apply to older adults, who have higher cancer prevalence and different coping resources. The cross-sectional design cannot determine cause and effect between health perceptions and fear or self-efficacy. Self-reported measures were collected during chemotherapy, which may have affected participants' ability to complete questionnaires accurately due to side effects.
Declared interests
The authors declared no funding or conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that low anxiety scores mean patients are coping well. The study found high coping self-efficacy was associated with poor outcomes like advanced disease stage and smoking, suggesting these patients may be using maladaptive coping strategies despite reporting confidence.