In their own words: a qualitative study of coping mechanisms employed by patients with acute myeloid leukemia

Positive coping mediates improved outcomes from integrated palliative care in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We qualitatively explored patients' coping mechanisms to better understand this relationship.

We enrolled patients with high-risk AML admitted to Duke Hospital's inpatient hematologic malignancy service for intensive chemotherapy. This study is a secondary analysis of previously collected longitudinal qualitative data, with interviews conducted between February 2014 and August 2015. Interviews were coded in NVivo to identify examples of approach-oriented and avoidant coping.

Patients demonstrated approach-oriented coping in many forms including acceptance, positive reframing, active coping, religious coping, and social coping. Acceptance included accepting their prognosis, the uncertainty of AML, and lifestyle changes due to the disease. Patients exhibited positive reframing by speculating about how their situation could be worse, deriving meaning from their experience, and expressing newfound appreciation for activities previously taken for granted. Social coping involved patients receiving support from their community or care team; however, some expressed guilt for being a "burden" on family. Avoidant coping included denial, behavioral disengagement, and self-blame. Some denied their prognosis, but denial was more commonly demonstrated via patients cognitively distancing themselves from their disease. Much of the behavioral disengagement described by patients was attributed to their symptoms (i.e., lethargy) which prevented patients from maintaining relationships or participating in activities previously enjoyed.

These results demonstrate the diverse and nuanced applications of coping mechanisms amid a recent AML diagnosis. Future research should examine coping in the context of novel low-intensity AML therapies.