Sense of coherence and coping styles in parents of children with cancer

Introduction
Diagnosis of a child’s oncological disease is one of the most difficult moments in the life of parents. It causes stress of high intensity. Coping with stress can be considered in the categories of process, strategy and style. Coping styles are specific tendencies of behaviour in stressful situations. One of the most important resources in the coping process is the sense of coherence, which is a global life orientation consisting of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness.

The aim of the study
The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between childhood oncological disease, sense of coherence and coping styles.

Material and methods
The study used the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29) and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) questionnaire. The study included a group of 25 parents staying in the hospital with their children.

Results and conclusions
The study showed that the parents of children with cancer were characterised by an average level of sense of coherence and they preferred the task-oriented coping style. There was a positive correlation between sense of coherence and task-oriented style, and negative correlation between sense of coherence and emotion-oriented style, avoidant style, and distraction-seeking style.