The influence of self-efficacy and resilient coping on cancer patients’ quality of life

The objective of this study was to analyse whether general self-efficacy and resilient coping are negatively impacted when people are sick with cancer (compared with people from the general population), and whether these resource variables predict quality of life outcomes in that patient group. A sample of 959 patients recruited in an oncologic rehabilitation clinic was examined once while hospitalised and once again six months thereafter. The outcome variables were quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30) and distress (PHQ-4). The resource variables were self-efficacy (General Self-Efficacy Scale) and resilient coping (Brief Resilient Coping Scale). Representative samples of the general population served as controls. Self-efficacy (d = 0.08) and resilient coping (d = 0.28) were only slightly lower in the patients' sample than in the general population. Both resource variables were associated with quality of life, but self-efficacy (and not resilient coping) was the only independent predictor of quality of life functioning scales and distress scores when the baseline values of the dependent variables were also taken into account. Strengthening patients' belief in their own ability to cope with the disease may help them retain and/or regain a higher level of quality of life.