Stress and Coping Attitudes of Cancer and Cardiac Patients as A Function of Personality and Socio-Demographic Factors in Bangladesh

Abstract

The present study attempts at investigating the similarities and differences of stress and coping attitudes of cancer and cardiac patients as a function of personality and socio demographic factors in Bangladesh within the framework of socio cultural background of Bangladesh. The study has been developed under the theoretical framework of (i) stimulus-oriented approach; (ii) the psychodynamic approach; (iii) life events and social support approach; (iv) control and hardiness support approach; (v) psychological approaches for cancer disease prevention; (vi) approaches to coping with cardiac disorder and (vii) internal-external control and social learning theory. All these approaches have been utilized and integrated in order to show similarities and differences of stress and coping attitudes of cancer and cardiac patients. The present study uses a multidimensional correlation approach with a criterion group design. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, criterion groups of cancer and cardiac patients were selected on the basis of Cancer Cardiac Criteria Questionnaire. The criterion groups of cancer and cardiac patients were further subdivided into male and female on the basis of their response of the questionnaire. These groups were again subdivided into upper middle SES and lower middle SES. The use of criterion group design has considerable advantage in highlighting the differences among cancer and cardiac patients and normal individuals in relation to the personality and demographic variables selected for the study. In the second phase, the criterion groups were given measures of (i) personality; (ii) attitude and (iii) demographic variables. The attitude measures (a) Stress attitude scale (b) Coping attitude scale and (c) Internal- External personality scale. All these measures were either constructed or developed. The study utilized three samples which were drawn from different hospitals and institutions in Dhaka and Rajshahi cities. Each sample was composed of 360 respondents equally divided into Cancer patients, Cardiac patients and normal individuals. These three groups were sub-divided into male and female. Again male and female were subdivided into upper middle SES and lower middle SES classes. Each subgroup consisted of 30 respondents. Data from Cancer, Cardiac and normal individuals were collected in the year 2007 and 2008. The main objectives of the present study were to make a comparative study of stress and coping attitudes among Cancer and Cardiac patients and normal individuals in Bangladesh as related to Attitude towards Stress like psychological, situational, physiological, financial, environmental & surgical. (ii) Attitude towards Coping like coping with illness, stress, medical care, stressful events, environment and the financial accommodation. (iii) Personality variables of internal and external control (iv) Demographic background of gender and SES. (v) Similarities and differences of attitude variable and personality pattern. (vi) Demographic pattern of male and female, upper middle and lower middle class. Three specific hypotheses were formulated. These were: It is hypothesized that both Cancer and Cardiac patients expressed higher stress attitudes, lower coping attitudes and more externally controlled as compared to normal individuals on each variable respectively. (ii) It is hypothesized that females expressed higher stress attitudes, lower coping attitudes and more externally controlled as compared to males on each variable respectively. (iii) It is hypothesized that lower middle SES individuals expressed higher stress attitudes, lower coping attitudes and more externally controlled as compared to upper middle SES individuals on each variable respectively. Analysis of data has been divided into three parts. In the first part, in each computation a 3x2x2 factorial design involving three levels of individuals ( cancer patients, cardiac patients and normal individuals), two levels of gender (male and female) and two levels of SES (upper middle SES and lower middle SES) were used. In the second part, inter-group differences on stress attitudinal variables with six dimensions i.e. psychological stress, situational stress, physiological stress, financial stress, environmental stress and surgical stress; attitude towards coping with six dimensions i.e. coping with illness, coping with stress, coping with stressful events, coping with medical care, coping with the environment and coping with the financial accommodation and demographic variables like male-female differences, upper middle and lower middle differences have been computed by univariate method for cancer patients, cardiac patients and normal individuals separately to find out the gender and SES differences. In the third part, inter variable correlations were computed to find out the differential pattern of relationship among the variables for the cancer patients, cardiac patients and normal individuals separately. Finally, a summary of main finding is given for an overall view of the results. The study has experienced that psychological and socio-demographic factor instead of genetic factor was the determinant of stress and coping attitude of the individuals.