Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2006 Jun;62(12):3133-45.
doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.11.041. Epub 2006 Jan 18.

Meaning-making intervention during breast or colorectal cancer treatment improves self-esteem, optimism, and self-efficacy

Virginia Lee  1 , S Robin Cohen, Linda Edgar, Andrea M Laizner, Anita J Gagnon
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Meaning-making intervention during breast or colorectal cancer treatment improves self-esteem, optimism, and self-efficacy

Virginia Lee et al. Soc Sci Med. 2006 Jun.

Abstract

Existential issues often accompany a diagnosis of cancer and remain one aspect of psychosocial oncology care for which there is a need for focused, empirically tested interventions. This study examined the efficacy of a novel psychological intervention specifically designed to address existential issues through the use of meaning-making coping strategies on psychological adjustment to cancer. Eighty-two breast or colorectal cancer patients were randomly chosen to receive routine care (control group) or up to four sessions that explored the meaning of the emotional responses and cognitive appraisals of each individual's cancer experience within the context of past life events and future goals (experimental group). This paper reports the results from 74 patients who completed and returned pre- and post-test measures for self-esteem, optimism, and self-efficacy. After controlling for baseline scores, the experimental group participants demonstrated significantly higher levels of self-esteem, optimism, and self-efficacy compared to the control group. The results are discussed in light of the theoretical and clinical implications of meaning-making coping in the context of stress and illness.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources