Breast cancer is the most common cancer experienced by women worldwide.
Whilst significant improvements in screening, diagnosis and treatment have resulted in
decreased mortality, breast cancer and its treatment can have a significant impact on the
well-being of these women. This mixed methods thesis includes three studies to explore
the utility of a novel integrated theoretical model combining the common-sense model
(Leventhal et al., 1980), and the religious coping mediator model (Pargament, 1997). The
aim of this thesis was to examine how illness perceptions and religious coping impact the
psychosocial outcomes of Omani women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.
To begin, a systematic review was conducted to evaluate the measurement of
religious coping in clinical cancer research, and to determine the most suitable tool for the
quantitative study. The Brief RCOPE was determined to be the most suitable tool for the
quantitative arm of this thesis. The second study was a quantitative, cross-sectional study
which examined the proposed integrated model in a sample of 103 Omani women with
breast cancer. The study showed that negative religious coping explained the relationship
between these women’s emotional representations of breast cancer, on the one hand, and
symptoms of anxiety and depression, on the other hand.
Finally, a qualitative study, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
(n=6), was conducted to expand on the quantitative findings. These interviews highlighted
the changing nature of illness representations throughout the illness trajectory and the
importance of religious coping in that process. The findings from this thesis highlight the
importance of discussing illness perceptions with breast cancer sufferers as well as their
families early in the illness trajectory. Additionally, there might be a clinical utility in
assessing the coping resources for these women, which include both religious and nonreligious coping skills, to help patients to cope with their illness.
| Date of Award | 17 Feb 2021 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Awarding Institution | - University Of Strathclyde
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| Supervisor | Susan Rasmussen (Supervisor) & Simon C. Hunter (Supervisor) |
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