Personal characteristics of women, cognitive characteristics and coping strategies when faced with a health threat
Abstract
The article presents the results of a pilot study aimed at establishing the relationships between women's personality traits, cognitive characteristics and coping strategies in the face of health threats, namely the development of breast cancer. The study involved 30 women with benign breast neoplasms who had been examined at the Loginov ICRC Mammology Centre in Moscow. All participants had higher education and children, 24 were married and 6 were divorced. Qualitative analysis revealed the following results: 26 women identified a difficult life situation in relation to health and examination at the mammology centre. In particular: 'it is difficult to be in the dark and wait for the results of the examination', 'removal of fibroadenoma', 'anxiety and accompanying fears, such as fear of death'. Four participants mentioned a difficult life situation regarding family and work. Questionnaire methods were used to obtain empirical data. SPSS 24 software (Spearman's correlation coefficient) was used to process and analyse the data obtained. Correlational analysis revealed strong positive correlations between active coping and narcissism on the Cheddock scale, and between instrumental support seeking and thought control. High correlations were also found between personality and cognitive traits such as sadism and thought control, openness to new experiences and cognitive failure, and psychopathy and positive beliefs. The correlations are significant at the 0.01 level.
About the Authors
A. S. Goncharenko
Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
lecturer and postgraduate student, Department of Psychology of Aging
Moscow
E. V. Kuftyak
Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis;
Russian Academy of Psychoanalysis
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Head of the Department of Psychology of Aging and Family Counselling
Professor
Moscow
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Review
For citations:
Goncharenko A.S., Kuftyak E.V. Personal characteristics of women, cognitive characteristics and coping strategies when faced with a health threat. Medical Psychology in Russia. 2024;16(4):2-9. (In Russ.)
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