Age Differences in the Coping Strategies of Patients With Colorectal Cancer

Colon and/or rectum cancer (CRC) patients use various strategies to cope with their condition, and these can vary between age groups.

The aims of this study were to investigate differences between psychosocial/spiritual variables and coping strategies in CRC patients of different age groups (younger vs older) and to identify the predictors of coping for both age groups.

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at 3 outpatient clinics in Korea. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Social Support Scale, and Self-Transcendence Scale were used to measure psychosocial and spiritual variables; the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale was used to assess cancer-specific coping strategies.

Both younger and older patients who were psychologically distressed used more maladaptive coping. Individuals who received less social support from healthcare providers used more maladaptive coping strategies. For younger patients, self-transcendence was the only significant predictor of both adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies; for older patients, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score was the only significant predictor of maladaptive coping.

Differences in psychological distress, social support, and self-transcendence due to age are important protective or risk factors for the use of coping strategies among CRC patients.

Considering our findings, we encourage healthcare professionals to be aware of patients' coping strategies and take them into account when planning age-specific interventions related to coping, before hospital discharge.