Coping styles vary with species' sociality and life history: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis

A study on improving cancer-related fatigue and disease-related psychological variables in patients with cervical cancer based on online mindfulness-based stress reduction: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

The persistent destructive power of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) has been regarded as the biggest influencing factor affecting the postoperative physical and mental health of patients with cervical cancer. During this process, patients might also experience different feelings of disease-related psychological. Therefore, this study aimed to adopt mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) to intervene in patients with cervical cancer, and conducted follow-up for 3 and 6 months to observe the effects of changes in CRF, uncertainty in illness, coping styles, sense of coherence (SOC), and perceived social support (PSS).

METHODS

A randomized controlled trial was conducted in ShengJing Hospital of China Medical University. A total of 102 patients were selected, and 78 patients completed the whole process, including 40 in the experimental group and 38 in the control group. Data were collected according to Cancer Fatigue Scale, Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Sense of Coherence-13. The change trend and difference of the two groups of research data were compared by repeated measurement analysis of variance. Bonferroni test was used for multiple tests between groups.

RESULTS

The CRF, SOC, and coping styles of the MBSR group showed a decreasing trend (P < 0.001) at after MBSR, 3 months follow-up, and 6 months follow-up compared to the before MBSR. However, the uncertainty in illness of the MBSR group showed a decreasing trend (P < 0.001) at after MBSR compared to the before MBSR, and it rose in 3 months follow-up and 6 months follow-up.

CONCLUSION

MBSR can effectively alleviate the fatigue of CRF after treatment, while improving their psychological environment. Medical workers can consider implementing online MBSR for patients with cervical cancer in their daily rehabilitation nursing, which is beneficial for their recovery.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

China Clinical Trial Registration Center ChiCTR2000040122 (https//www.chictr.org.cn/). Registered on November 21, 2020.

Behavioral, physiological, and genetic drivers of coping in a non-human primate

Animals experience stressful situations, from predation to social conflicts, but mostly deal with them successfully. This adaptive mechanism, coping, reduces the adverse effects of stressors, and its failure may result in reduced fitness. Substantial inter-individual variation in coping is observed, yet little is known about how behavioral, physiological and genetic drivers regulate coping holistically and contribute to such variations. We assessed behavioral coping styles (n=30), emotional arousal (n=12), and personalities (n=32) of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and also investigated the association of coping with a valine/methionine polymorphism encoded by a critical human stress regulatory gene, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) (n=26). Personality and the human equivalent COMT Val/Met polymorphism were associated with "nonaggression-based" and "aggression-based" coping styles. Compared to nonaggression-based, aggression-based copers maintained higher average facial temperatures, indicating potentially lower emotional arousal, as measured using infrared thermography. These findings demonstrate a complex interplay of various proximate mechanisms governing coping in a non-human primate.