Adaptation status and related factors at 2 time points after surgery in patients with gastrointestinal tract cancer.

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of cancer and subsequent surgery represent a life-threatening and stressful experience with several factors relating to the patient's process of adaptation. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine adaptation status and related factors in patients who have been diagnosed with and undergone surgery for gastrointestinal tract cancer. METHODS The survey was administered twice (2 weeks after discharge from the hospital and 6 months after surgery). Twenty-five patients responded to both questionnaires about quality of life (QOL), which was regarded as an index of adaptation status, and illness-related demands, the "why me?" question, sense of coherence (SOC), perceived social support, and disease data. RESULTS On the second survey, scores about illness-related demands, the "why me?" question, SOC, and QOL, other than the QOL social relationships domain, improved, but scores about perceived social support decreased. A correlation between the "why me?" question and the SOC and the difference in the overall QOL by cancer site were found only on the second survey. Low demands of illness and high SOC predicted high QOL on both surveys. CONCLUSIONS Except for social relationships, adaptation status 6 months after surgery improved compared with after discharge. The relationships between some variables took on a significant meaning at 6 months after surgery. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Comparisons between 2 time points suggested that most cancer patients had dispositional resilience. Meanwhile, the findings related to social relationships and the relationships between some variables suggested the necessity for professional interventions targeting these factors.