A prospective study of coping, perceived control, and psychological adaptation to breast cancer

Coping, perceived control, and Symptoms Of anxiety/depression were assessed in 70 women with breast cancer near their diagnosis and at 3- and 6-month follow-Icps. Multiple regression equations were constructed to investigate the effects of coping, perceived control, and their interaction on anxiety/depression symptoms. Problem focused engagement coping was related to lower anxiety/depression symptoms near diagnosis; emotion-focused disengagement coping was related to more anxiety/depression symptoms at 6 months, controlling for initial anxiety,/depression; and problem-focused engagement was,ns marginally related to lower anxiety/depression symptoms at 6 months controlling for initial anxiety/depression. There were no main effects for perceived control. The interaction of problem-focused engagement coping and perceived control was a significant predictor of lower anxiety/depression symptoms only near the time of diagnosis. Thus, the goodness-of-fit effect, in which problem-focused coping interacts with perceived control to predict lower levels of anxiety/depression, was replicated cross-sectionally, but not prospectively.