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Perceived Efficacy of Coping Strategies Among Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy at A Nigerian Teaching Hospital
Subject area: Biological & Medical Sciences · Area of research: Radiotherapy
DOI: 10.64388/ire1724962
Abstract
Documenting which coping strategies patients themselves perceive as helpful, rather than merely which they use, is essential for designing psychosocial interventions that patients will find valuable. This study determined the perceived effectiveness of coping mechanisms used by head and neck cancer (HNC) patients in reducing treatment-related distress during radiotherapy. A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted, surveying a total-enumeration sample of 20 HNC patients receiving radiotherapy at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu (100% response rate). Perceived efficacy of five coping-strategy categories — Religious/Spiritual (RSS), Social Support (SS), Problem-Focused (PFS), Distraction/Avoidance (DA) and Complementary Strategies (CS) — was measured with the Coping Strategies and Efficacy Questionnaire (CSEQ) on a 3-point scale (1 = Not Helpful, 2 = A Little Helpful, 3 = Very Helpful), scored only for strategies a respondent reported using. The results showed that Problem-Focused Strategies were rated most helpful (M = 2.47, SD = 0.35), followed by Religious/Spiritual Strategies (M = 2.44, SD = 0.29). Distraction/Avoidance was rated least helpful (M = 1.48, SD = 0.28); half (50.0%) of respondents who used it rated it "Not Helpful" and none rated it "Very Helpful." The rank order of perceived efficacy closely mirrored the rank order of frequency of use reported in a companion analysis. Patients' choice of coping strategy was broadly aligned with what they perceived as most helpful, with problem-focused and religious/spiritual coping rated most beneficial and avoidance rated least beneficial. This alignment, and the specific case of under-used but favourably-rated social support, offer concrete targets for psychosocial intervention.
Keywords
coping strategies, head and neck cancer, Nigeria, perceived efficacy, radiotherapy
References
[1] Asuzu CC, Elumelu TN (2013). Assessing cancer patients’ quality of life and coping mechanisms in Radiotherapy Department of the University College Hospital, Ibadan. Psycho-Oncology, 22(10), 2306–2312. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.3290
[2] Balanay SB, Fajardo MTM (2025). Analysis and design of a multidirectional scientific inquiry model (MSIM) based on existing inquiry-based tasks (IBT). American Journal of Educational Research, 13, 156–162. https://doi.org/10.12691/education-13-4-2
[3] Folkman S (2013). Stress: Appraisal and coping. In: M. D. Gellman & J. R. Turner (Eds.), Encyclopedia of behavioral medicine. Springer. p. 1913–1915. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_215
[4] Morris N, Moghaddam N, Tickle A, Biswas S (2018). The relationship between coping style and psychological distress in people with head and neck cancer: A systematic review. Psycho-Oncology, 27(3), 734–747. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.4509
How to cite this paper
@article{1724962,
author = {Ogbu Stanley Chukwuemeka},
title = {Perceived Efficacy of Coping Strategies Among Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy at A Nigerian Teaching Hospital},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {5},
pages = {2102-2107},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1724962.pdf},
abstract = {Documenting which coping strategies patients themselves perceive as helpful, rather than merely which they use, is essential for designing psychosocial interventions that patients will find valuable. This study determined the perceived effectiveness of coping mechanisms used by head and neck cancer (HNC) patients in reducing treatment-related distress during radiotherapy. A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted, surveying a total-enumeration sample of 20 HNC patients receiving radiotherapy at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu (100% response rate). Perceived efficacy of five coping-strategy categories — Religious/Spiritual (RSS), Social Support (SS), Problem-Focused (PFS), Distraction/Avoidance (DA) and Complementary Strategies (CS) — was measured with the Coping Strategies and Efficacy Questionnaire (CSEQ) on a 3-point scale (1 = Not Helpful, 2 = A Little Helpful, 3 = Very Helpful), scored only for strategies a respondent reported using. The results showed that Problem-Focused Strategies were rated most helpful (M = 2.47, SD = 0.35), followed by Religious/Spiritual Strategies (M = 2.44, SD = 0.29). Distraction/Avoidance was rated least helpful (M = 1.48, SD = 0.28); half (50.0%) of respondents who used it rated it "Not Helpful" and none rated it "Very Helpful." The rank order of perceived efficacy closely mirrored the rank order of frequency of use reported in a companion analysis. Patients' choice of coping strategy was broadly aligned with what they perceived as most helpful, with problem-focused and religious/spiritual coping rated most beneficial and avoidance rated least beneficial. This alignment, and the specific case of under-used but favourably-rated social support, offer concrete targets for psychosocial intervention.},
keywords = {coping strategies, head and neck cancer, Nigeria, perceived efficacy, radiotherapy},
month = {November},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/ire1724962}
}