TITLE:
Psychological and Spiritual Experiences of Breast and Cervical Cancer Patients
AUTHORS:
Karima Bendahhou, Zineb Serhier, Samir Diouny, Nezha Tawfiq, Kenza Yaacoubi, Mohamed Bennani Othmani, Abdellatif Benider
KEYWORDS:
Cancer, Coping Methods, AKU Questionnaire, Moroccan Version
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.10 No.4,
April
28,
2023
ABSTRACT: Psychological mechanisms are often adopted by cancer patients to cope with the disease. This work aimed to describe the coping strategies adopted by cancer patients and to verify the psychometric properties of a Moroccan Arabic version of the Coping Strategies (AKU) questionnaire. A cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with breast and cervical cancer. Data collection was based on a questionnaire containing elements of the AKU’s adaptation strategies. Internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, and validity was verified using the multi-trait/multi-item correlation matrix. A total of 100 patients were enrolled in the study, with an average age of 53.8 years (SD 11.3 years). Different aspects of our patients’ social life have been affected, with family and conjugal life being the most affected. Family and friends were the main sources of moral and financial support. An amplification of spirituality and religious practices has been observed especially since the diagnosis of cancer. The highest score of the AKU questionnaire was noted for the dimensions related to trust in God’s help, medical help, and reappraisal of illness as a Chance. Internal consistency was found to be satisfactory for three dimensions, “Conscious and Healthy Living”, “Reappraisal Illness as a Chance” and “Perspectives and Positive Attitudes”. Good convergent and discriminant validity were noted for almost all dimensions. Our Moroccan version of the AKU questionnaire can therefore be used in the Moroccan socio-cultural context, to assess the coping strategies used to adjust to cancer in breast and cervical cancer patients in Morocco.