Stoicism against cancer: risk or protection

Abstract

Detecting an attitude of stoic coping in patients with cancer is important because it can favor or hinder oncological treatment. Objective: In this work, we analyze whether depending on age, gender, the presence of pain and the time elapsed since the symptoms began to the diagnosis of cancer, we can assign a positive or negative value to the stoic behaviors as a factor of protection or risk in patients. Material and Methods: We evaluated 540 patients who attended the Medical Oncology consultation for evaluation of adjuvant treatment after oncological surgery, between June 2015 and December 2016. The clinical and demographic data were obtained through the medical interview and were: gender, age, marital status, educational level, occupational area, location of the tumor, stage and time elapsed since the presence of symptoms and consultation with the doctor. The following questionnaires were administered on paper and in person: Brief Pain Inventory, Brief Symptom Inventory and Liverpool Stoicism Scale. Results: The men in our sample are almost 5 times more likely to have high stoicism scores than women and 7 times more likely to be associated with a declining state of mind and advanced age. Stoicism was greater in older patients. No relationship has been found between stoicism and pain scales. Conclusion: The three characteristics that best discriminate between patients with high and / or low scores in stoicism are gender, age and depressed mood. The fact that stoicism is associated with elderly men with depression makes us think that the Stoicism should be considered more as a risk factor than as a protection factor. Age-related maturity inevitably leads to greater acceptance of losses and a propensity to hide pain, or not seeking help to avoid showing weakness. Given this situation, it is important to have the information provided by the family and recognize the importance of family support for these people who may be more vulnerable at the outset.