Abstract

PAGUNG, Larissa Bessert; CANA, Cláudia Patrocinio Pedroza; MISSAWA, Daniela Dadalto Ambrozine  and  MOTTA, Alessandra Brunoro. Coping strategies and optimism of children with and without cancer. Rev. Psicol. Saúde [online]. 2017, vol.9, n.3, pp.33-46. ISSN 2177-093X.  https://doi.org/10.20435/pssa.v9i3.470.

In the cancer treatment, children have to deal with disease stressors using coping strategies that contributes to a positive adaptation. Personal variables like optimism can affect the way they cope with the disease. This descriptive study aimed to investigate the coping strategies and the optimism in children with and without cancer. Four children with cancer and four children without cancer participated, responding to the instruments Optimistic and Pessimistic Expectations Interview and Coping Scale. Data were analyzed qualitatively. It was verified that all children were optimistic. About coping, children with cancer reported more support search, problem solving, isolation, escape and opposition; and the children without cancer reported more support search, problem solving and escape. Overall, the children did not differ in terms of optimism and both groups reported greater use of positive adaptive coping strategies.

Keywords : children; children with cancer; optimism; coping.

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