CAS PS 332 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Prostate Cancer, Posttraumatic Growth
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Published on 22 May 2019
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Lecture 14: 4/11/19
• Coping with cancer
o Cancer surgery is associated with higher distress and slower rates of
emotional recovery than other surgeries
▪ Side effects of chemotherapy and radiation may include hair loss,
fatigue, loss of appetite, skin rashes
▪ Psychoeducation
• What’s normal following treatment
• How to improve quality of life
o Dispositional optimism >> active coping & lower distress
o Depression >> risk factor for cancer-related mortality
o Psychotherapy >> improved survival??
o Social context: Social support improves coping (& survival?)
▪ General health
▪ Cancer-related stressors
▪ Social comparison with other people with cancer can impact
cancer coping
• Depends on how other individual is perceived (upward
versus downward comparison)
• Depends on extent of perceived similarity to comparison
person (upward identification versus upward contrast)
o Masculinity
▪ Cancer-related masculine threat (CMT) symptoms associated
with prostate cancer treatment threaten masculine self-image
• High CMT scores related to poorer prostate-related
functioning
• Male cancers and cancer patients underrepresented in
media / fewer role models
• < 10% of American men opt for active surveillance
• Posttraumatic Stress and Growth
o Cancer = life threat
o Posttraumatic Stress (PTS)
▪ Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
o Self or family
▪ Pediatric cancer: Parents, siblings > patients
o Posttraumatic Growth (PTG)
▪ Positive psychological change resulting from struggle with a highly
challenging life circumstance
• A.k.a. benefit finding or thriving
• Determining level of care:
o
o
• Cognitive Behavioral Interventions
o Targets:
▪ Stress, Pain relief, Control of aversive reactions to treatment,
Enhancement of emotional well-being, (Social support)
o Techniques:
▪ Relaxation or mindfulness