Cancer Fear, Emotion Regulation, and Emotional Distress in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Lung Cancer

Abstract

Background: Research related to newly diagnosed lung cancer patients' emotional regulation strategies and how these strategies influence their emotional distress is scarce.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cancer fear, emotion regulation, and emotional distress in patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer.

Method: A cross-sectional, correlation research design was conducted, using self-report questionnaires: the Cancer Fear Scale, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A total of 117 newly diagnosed lung cancer patients were sampled.

Results: Nearly 70% of newly diagnosed lung cancer patients had a high level of cancer fear; 56.4%, depression; and 45.3%, anxiety. Depression was positively associated with cancer fear ( r = 0.239, P < .01) and expressive suppression ( r = 0.185, P < .05), but negatively associated with cognitive reappraisal ( r = -0.323, P < .01). Anxiety was positively associated with cancer fear ( r = 0.488, P < .01) but negatively associated with cognitive reappraisal ( r = -0.214, P < .05). Cancer fear and cognitive reappraisal were significant explanatory factors and explained 25.2% of variance in anxiety. Cancer fear, expressive suppression, and cognitive reappraisal were significant explanatory factors and explained 16.7% of variance in depression.

Conclusions: Newly diagnosed lung cancer patients with cancer fear and who used fewer cognitive reappraisal strategies or more expressive suppression had more emotional distress.

Implications for practice: Clinicians should be attentive to patients' cancer fears and emotion regulation strategies as early as possible to prevent their emotional distress.