The Psychological Factors Influencing Chronic Illness Management

Beresford, T. P., Alfers, J., Mangum, L., Clapp, L., & Martin, B. (2006). Cancer Survival Probability as a Function of Ego Defense (Adaptive) Mechanisms Versus Depressive Symptoms. Psychosomatics, 47(3), 247–253. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psy.47.3.247

In this study, the authors conducted research aimed at looking at the impact of immature adaptive styles and frequent depression symptoms on the survival rates of patients. The authors hypothesized that frequent depression symptoms and immature adaptive styles would independently lead to lower survival rates in cancer patients. Immature adaptive style is a cognitive behavior characteristic of youths and often prolongs itself into the characters of other grown individuals. This study followed 86 consecutive, mostly late-stage, cancer outpatients for up to 5 years, and an analysis of their survival data was conducted. The study found that depression did not affect cancer patients until after the 30th month after diagnosis. However, the study found that ego separated the patients by 8 months. The survival rates in patients with immature adaptive styles dropped by 50% within 18 months compared to 87% for the mature patients. The study further revealed that at 36 months, the survival probabilities were 29% for cancer patients with immature adaptive styles and 57% for mature patients. This study will be essential for my essay as it will help showcase that psychological factors, such as ego and defense mechanisms, are indicators of lower survival rates for patients with chronic illnesses such as cancer.

Davis, C. R., Dearing, E., Usher, N., Trifiletti, S., Zaichenko, L., Ollen, E., Brinkoetter, M. T., Crowell-Doom, C., Joung, K., Park, K. H., Mantzoros, C. S., & Crowell, J. A. (2014). Detailed assessments of childhood adversity enhance the prediction of central obesity independent of gender, race, adult psychosocial risk and health behaviors. Metabolism, 63(2), 199–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2013.08.013

This article showcases a study that examines the impact of childhood trauma on the health of young adults. In the study, Davies et al. (2014) examined several childhood misfortunes, cruelty, and chronicity as predictors of whether or not young adults would be obese beyond the contributions of any other modifiable risk factors, such as health behaviors. Obesity is a chronic condition that affects many adults and children. In the study, 210 people (blacks, African Americans, and whites) were examined in a cross-sectional study for childhood adversity as a risk factor for central obesity and high BMI. The study revealed that overall childhood adversity was an independent and significant predictor of obesity in adulthood. This study will be very important to my essay as it proves that psychological factors affect the overall health of individuals. In this case, the psychological factor is the children's early dysregulation of metabolic functioning, hence promoting obesity, which is a chronic condition.

Gentili, C., Rickardsson, J., Zetterqvist, V., Simons, L. E., Lekander, M., & Wicksell, R. K. (2019). Psychological Flexibility as a Resilience Factor in Individuals With Chronic Pain. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02016

Most of the chronic diseases usually come with chronic pains that negatively impact on the quality of life of the patients. In this study, the authors acknowledge that pain is experienced differently among patients and depends on their psychology. This study, therefore, examined psychological flexibility as a resilience factor in relation to the symptoms and functioning of adults with psychological pain. The study included 252 adults with chronic pain. This study hypothesized that the patients with greater psychological resilience were more able to function, while those with lower psychological resilience were more likely to be disabled by their chronic conditions. The study found that contributors with low levels of mental flexibility were more likely to be on sick leave. This study will be significant in my essay as it showcases that psychological flexibility had a substantial indirect effect on the affiliation between the signs and functioning of patients with chronic illnesses.

Martino, G., Catalano, A., Bellone, F., Russo, G. T., Vicario, C. M., Lasco, A., Quattropani, M. C., & Morabito, N. (2019). As Time Goes By, Anxiety Negatively Affects the Perceived Quality of Life in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes of Long Duration. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01779

Since diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the world, these authors sought to determine whether psychological factors affected the quality of life of individuals with the disease. The study included 45 participants with type 2 diabetes Mellitus who were tested for levels of anxiety and depression. The findings in the study showcased a high prevalence of anxious symptoms. This study showcased that anxiety and depression levels in a patient predicted the presence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in patients. Aside from that, the study also showcased that psychological factors like anxiety and depression negatively impacted the quality of life for the patients. This data will be very useful for my essay as it will help showcase the negative impacts of psychological issues, such as anxiety and depression, in the management of chronic diseases.

Paika, V., Almyroudi, A., Tomenson, B., Creed, F., Kampletsas, E. O., Siafaka, V., Gkika, S., Mavreas, V., Pavlidis, N., & Hyphantis, T. (2009). Personality variables are associated with colorectal cancer patients’ quality of life independent of psychological distress and disease severity. Psycho-Oncology, 19(3), 273–282. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.1563

In this study, the author aimed to determine whether or not psychological factors such as personality variables and psychological distress impacted the quality of life of patients living with cancer. Cancer is a chronic disease with lifelong treatments and therapies. The aim of the study was, therefore, to test whether psychological distress and personality variables were independently associated with the health-related quality of life of patients with colorectal cancer. The research was a cross-sectional study that involved 162 cancer patients. The study revealed that, indeed, psychological distress was a factor that negatively impacted the lives of the patients, as many of the patients reported that it promoted the severity of their diseases and affected their social relationships with their loved ones. When it comes to personality viability, the study established that personality variables were also associated with the patients' reduced health-related quality of life. This study will be very important to my essay as it proves that psychological factor negatively impacts the value of life of patients living with chronic diseases.

Roditi, D., & Robinson, M. E. (2011). The role of psychological interventions in the management of patients with chronic pain. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 4(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.2147/prbm.s15375

This article acknowledges that psychological factors affect the quality of life and the management of chronic conditions. In the article, the authors explain that psychological interventions are very important in managing chronic illnesses. The authors explain that a major feature of chronic diseases is chronic pain, and healthcare professionals should start treating chronic pain as a disease for better management of chronic diseases. Since pain is a subjective experience that influences patients' quality of life, the authors suggest that managing chronic diseases would involve psychological approaches, as this will help to achieve increased self-management and functionality in the patients. The author suggests that focusing on behavioral and cognitive changes will help improve the patient’s life, especially in cases where it is difficult to eliminate the pain. The article cites that psychological interventions have many benefits, including increasing pain self-management. Improving pain coping mechanisms and reducing pain-related disability and reduced emotional distress, reducing pain-related disability, and reducing emotional distress are affected by a variety of effective, behavioral, self-regulatory, and cognitive techniques.