The relationship between coping strategies and quality of life of patients with lung cancer in Turkey

Objectives: In this study, it is aimed to examine the coping strategies and quality of life of patients with lung cancer. In this context, the relationship between strategies for coping with lung cancer and the quality of life of patients is discussed. The effect of treatment duration on coping strategies and quality of life is also being examined. Methods: The cross-sectional design and the convenience sampling method were used in the study. WHOQOL-Bref (27 items) and Brief COPE (28 items) were used as scales. The data of this research was obtained from the patients diagnosed with lung cancer who receive services from Ankara University School of Medicine Department of Radiology and from Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Şefkat Residential Homes of Oncology (n=201). Results: Cancer is characterized as one of the most important diseases widely observed in today’s societies. In conclusion, there is a significant relationship between coping variables and quality of life. The findings illustrate that lung cancer patients who used both problem-focused and positive emotion-oriented coping strategies achieved a higher quality of life score in all domains. Conclusions: In general, the findings illustrate that lung cancer patients who used both problem-focused and positive emotion-oriented coping strategies achieved higher quality of life scores in all domains. Thus, the effective use of positive emotion-oriented coping strategies and problem-focused coping strategies are crucial. Moreover, age, income, and the duration of treatment affect both quality of life and coping strategies of lung cancer patients.