Dissertation
Exploring the relationships between emotional control, coping behaviors, and depressive symptomology among men living with cancer
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Summer 2020
DOI: 10.17077/etd.005522
Abstract
The prevalence of psychological distress and depression among individuals living with cancer is high due to the stress caused by the disease and its treatments. How patients cope in response to cancer-related stress has been found to be linked to feelings of distress and experiences of depression symptoms. However, coping response can differ based on different contextual factors, including gender roles. Men’s socialized gender learning can result in the use of some coping behaviors and the rejection of others. Emotional control is one gender norm that has been found to be associated with how men cope in the face of stress and to be related to higher levels of depression. As such there are two aims of this study: (1) to understand how a masculine norm (emotional control) and coping behaviors (avoidant and socially supported), account for depression symptoms among men living with cancer and (2) to understand if coping behaviors mediate the relationship between internalized masculine norms and depression. Results found that adherence to emotional control and coping behaviors accounted for a statistically significant variance in depression symptom among men with cancer going through active treatment. Furthermore, socially supported coping mediated the relationship between emotional control and depression, but avoidant coping did not. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Exploring the relationships between emotional control, coping behaviors, and depressive symptomology among men living with cancer
- Creators
- Chi W. Yeung
- Contributors
- Megan Foley Nicpon (Advisor)Stephanie Gilbertson-White (Advisor)Jacob B Priest (Committee Member)Charles J Bermingham (Committee Member)D Martin Kivlighan III (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
- Date degree season
- Summer 2020
- DOI
- 10.17077/etd.005522
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- x, 42 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2020 Chi W. Yeung
- Language
- English
- Description illustrations
- illustrations
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 36-42).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
A diagnosis of cancer causes distress that can lead to depression symptoms. How people respond, by engaging or not engaging in coping behaviors, can lessen or heighten the effects of the stress they experience as well as impact their mood. But how people choose their coping behaviors can depend on a variety of factors, one of which is gender. Within the United States gender norms that guide how men should respond to their environment encourage restricting emotions.
Researchers have found that the degree to which men adhere to gender messages influences their experience of distress and symptoms (Gerdes & Levant, 2018). Men who believe strongly in the importance of always staying in control of their emotions and being stoic in the face of danger has been found to be more have experiences of depression (Ho, Chan, & Ho, 2004). Furthermore, the level to which they emphasize the importance of emotional control has also been associated with less engagements with social supports and more avoidant coping behaviors when stressed. The purpose of this study is to bring together these two lines of research in the context of a cancer diagnosis and treatment.
This study has multiple aims. The first aim is to see whether adherence to the masculine norm of emotional control and coping behaviors explain experiences of depression symptoms among a sample of men undergoing treatment for cancer. The second aim is to understand if the relationship between adherence to emotional control and the experience of depression symptoms is influenced by different types of coping behaviors, specifically socially supported or avoidant, that are used.
118 men with cancer and currently in active treatment completed a onetime survey. The survey included questions about the participant’s demographic, adherence to masculine norms, frequency of coping behaviors, and depression symptom experience. Hierarchical regression and mediation analysis conducted using SPSS and Process Macro Model.
In line with the first aim, results indicated that emotional control and coping behaviors significantly explained some experiences of depression. Emotional control was found to explain 3% of the variance in depression scores and coping behaviors, socially supported and avoidant, explained an additional 27%. Results for the second aim found the relationship between emotional control and depression through socially supported coping was significant but the path through avoidant coping was not. Future studies should focus on longitudinal data to establish causality.
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
- Record Identifier
- 9983987795902771
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