Protocol Number: 03-CC-0028

Title:

Exploring the Relationship Between Personality and Coping Styles in Bone Marrow Transplant Candidates

Number:

03-CC-0028

Summary:

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.

Sponsoring Institute:

Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center (CC)

Recruitment Detail

Type: Active Accrual Of New Subjects

Gender: Male & Female

Referral Letter Required: No

Population Exclusion(s): None

Eligibility Criteria:

INCLUSION CRITERIA

All patients with diagnosis of cancer and awaiting BMT.

Criteria for participation in the study include a diagnosis of cancer and being actively screened for a CC approved PBSC transplant protocol. The participants will not have undergone the transplant at the time of the evaluation. Participants will be ages 18 and older.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

No patients who meet the eligibility criteria will be excluded from the study.

Special Instructions: Currently Not Provided

Keywords:

Cancer

Personality Assessment

Coping Styles

Psychological Distress

Bone Marrow Transplants

Recruitment Keywords:

Cancer

Bone Marrow Transplant

Conditions:

Bone Marrow Transplantation

Neoplasms

Investigational Drug(s):

None

Investigational Device(s):

None

Contacts:

Marcus E. Walker, M.S.
National Institutes of Health
Building 10
Room 2N236
10 Center Drive
Bethesda, Maryland 20892
Phone: (301) 594-9767
Fax: (301) 594-9807

Electronic Address: mwalker@cc.nih.gov

Citations:

Feifel H, Strack S, Nagy VT.Related Articles, Links Coping strategies and associated features of medically ill patients. Psychosom Med. 1987 Nov-Dec;49(6):616-25.

Osborne RH, Elsworth GR, Kissane DW, Burke SA, Hopper JL. The Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale: replication and refinement in 632 breast cancer patients. Psychol Med. 1999 Nov;29(6):1335-45.

Ratsep T, Kallasmaa T, Pulver A, Gross-Paju K. Personality as a predictor of coping efforts in patients with multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler. 2000 Dec;6(6):397-402.

• Questions about participating in a study, please contact the Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office, CC.
• Technical questions regarding the Clinical Center web site, please contact the Department of Networks and Applications, CC.

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Bethesda, Maryland 20892. Last update: 10/16/2004