Findings on how adolescents cope with cancer--a matter of methodology?

The various conclusions drawn from previous studies on how adolescents cope with cancer might partly be explained by methodological issues. The aim was to explore how adolescents recently diagnosed with cancer report that they cope with disease- and treatment-related distress in response to closed- and open-ended questions, respectively.

Adolescents diagnosed with cancer 4-8 weeks ago (N=56) answered closed- and open-ended questions over the telephone about which coping strategies they use to cope with physical concerns, personal changes, feelings of alienation, and worries.

In response to closed-ended questions, most adolescents reported using emotion-focused coping (Accepting and Minimising) while, in response to open-ended questions, meaning-based (i.e. Positive thinking) and problem-focused (i.e. Problem solving) coping were most often mentioned. A majority reported using Minimising and Seeking support in response to closed-ended questions, but very few adolescents mentioned using these strategies in response to open-ended questions.

Adolescents' reports of how they cope with disease- and treatment-related distress vary depending on antecedent closed- and open-ended questions. Responses to closed-ended questions appear to be more indifferent to aspects of distress than responses to open-ended questions. Strategies representing meaning-based coping should be included in future studies investigating how adolescents recently diagnosed with cancer cope with disease- and treatment-related distress.