Abstract: This longitudinal study examines the importance of illness
representation for the quality of life (QoL) and emotional well-being of cancer
patients after surgery. The theoretical background of the study is Leventhal
and colleagues' Common Sense Model of Illness Representation, which proposes a
linear causality between subjective illness representations, coping, and
phys-ical or emotional outcomes. The sample consisted of 65 women and 91 men who had undergone
surgery for either gastro-intestinal or lung cancer, or the suspicion of having
such a cancer, and who participated in the study at three measurement points
(T1: one – three days prior to surgery, T2: one month and T3: six months after
surgery). Patients expected illness duration and their perceptions of control
changed over time. The ranking of various causal attributions did not change
over the three measurement points. The strength of beliefs that were highly
relevant from a medical point of view, for example stress, environmental
pollution, heredity and own behavior, increased significantly over time. While perceived control (T1) predicted QoL and depression (T3)
mediated by positive reframing (T2), the expectancy of a short illness
duration at T1 revealed a direct path to QoL and depression at T3. This result
remained stable when controlling for initial values for QoL and depression at
T1.
Keywords: Illness representation, coping, quality of life, common sense model of illness representation, cancer
