Trajectories of coping with illnessMultilevel analysis in patient-partner dyads

Stress is a ubiquitous phenomenon in the modern world, therefore behaviors in stressful situations, referred to in psychology as ‘coping’, are a common form of human activity. Despite numerous long-term psychological studies in this field, we still do not know which coping behaviors are successful and what mechanisms underlie them.

The goal of this project is to find the answer to this question by identifying the trajectories of coping with stress brought on by a somatic illness and determining their mechanisms i.e., causes and consequences. It is assumed that the key to this research is testing of bidirectional dynamic relationships between the variables of the coping process: individual (specific self-efficacy) and social (social support) resources as well as coping strategies, emotions (positive and negative), and somatic symptoms.

The research perspective will include the interpersonal context: the study of patient-partner dyads. This will enable the researchers to determine how convictions, emotions and behaviors of one of the partners impact the thoughts, emotions and activities of the other partner, in difficult situations. A serious somatic illness often creates very good conditions for the study of stress and coping phenomena, in natural settings and in an interpersonal context.

The researchers have planned an intensive longitudinal study, requiring the completion of a daily diary. The study will ultimately involve at least 200 couples comprising a patient and their partner. Participants of the study will be recruited from a population of patients suffering from lymphatic and haematological cancers, scheduled for a bone marrow transplant, which requires the total hospitalization of approximately six weeks. The participants will be asked to fill out a daily diary and record their thoughts concerning their beliefs, emotions, behaviors and somatic symptoms, for a period of 28 days after the patient has left the hospital. Statistical analysis of the data will be carried out using the newest and most advanced research techniques, such as the latent curve growth analysis and multilevel modelling.

The obtained data will allow researchers to test the stress model, in the context of illness, taking into consideration the complexity and dynamics of the coping process. The key to recognizing the mechanisms of effective coping with illness is to determine distinctive processes of change in coping as well as their causes and consequences. A broader perspective on the coping process with illness from the point of view of the patient-partner dyad will also allow for the determination of the dynamics of social exchange and its impact on individual coping and its effectiveness. The results will also broaden the knowledge concerning the mechanisms of social support as well as individual resources in daily interpersonal relationships in a difficult situation.

Apart from measurable theoretical effects, such as contribution to the development of health psychology, and stress and coping research, the obtained results will also have practical implications: They will help to develop assistance programs for cancer patients and their families.