Relationship Between Personality and Coping Styles in Bone Marrow Transplant Candidates

Overview

This study will look at how people cope with an upcoming bone marrow transplant and how personality characteristics influence coping styles in stressful medical situations. Personality traits, such as extraversion, optimism and self-esteem have been related to active, problem-focused coping styles, whereas neuroticism has been related to increased psychological distress and denial as a way of coping. Coping styles, in turn, have been related to disease outcome. For example, a fighting spirit and avoidance have been correlated with longer survival, whereas fatalism, anxious preoccupation and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness were related to a poor disease outcome. A better understanding of the relationship between coping styles and personality may help improve supportive care for people undergoing bone marrow transplants. This study will: * Explore the relationship between personality traits, coping styles and psychological stress in patients awaiting bone marrow transplantation * Identify what coping styles people use to prepare for bone marrow transplantation * Identify what personality traits are related to particular coping styles in patients awaiting bone marrow transplantation * Identify the relationship between personality factors and level of psychological distress in patients awaiting bone marrow transplantation Cancer patients 18 years of age and older who are scheduled for bone marrow transplant are eligible for this study. Participants will fill out pencil-and-paper questionnaires providing demographic information (such as age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, and so forth) and answering questions about their opinions and preferences. The information will be used to assess the participants' personality characteristics, coping styles, and psychological distress. The questionnaires take about 45 to 50 minutes to complete.

Over the last decade, more and more focus has been placed upon the psychological adjustment of patients who have undergone bone marrow transplants (BMT). There have been studies that focused on the coping styles and levels of psychological distress in patients immediately after transplantation. Studies have been done based on a specific point during the process or at multiple points throughout the course of the procedure and still other studies have focused on assessment points several months post transplant. However, very little attention has been focused on patients' psychological functioning prior to transplantation. The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between personality traits and coping styles among patients awaiting BMT.