Table 1.
Constructive and Unconstructive Processing
| Average per easy frequency, mean (SD) | Total essays (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Constructive processing | ||
| Planning/problem solving: defining or appraising a problem, generating possible solutions, selecting alternatives, implementing solutions, or evaluating a plan. “I am still unsure if my surgery/chemo/radiation has left me sterile and unable to have kids and that is scary. I do want kids and so does my wife. It helps knowing I went to the sperm bank, but I'm hoping and praying that we won't need to use what I froze” (30-year-old Caucasian male) |
1.53 (0.94) | 29.5 |
| Values clarification/affirmation: thoughts related to declaring, clarifying, or affirming one's values or beliefs. “As I've moved forward in my life, I still manage to come back to my cancer as a point of connection to others. I mention cancer and instead of creating a wall, it seems to almost instantly break down barriers in conversation. People want to know more, they want to know about my experience, and they want to know that I'm healthy in ways they never would have cared before. This makes the pain and trauma of the experience less and less every day, but keeps the event fresh in my mind so that I can continue to cherish the healthy time that I have and make the most of every day.” (29-year-old Caucasian male) |
1.35 (0.61) | 29.5 |
| Goal-focused reflection: focused attention on one's goals, including goal clarification and assessment of goal progress. “I think, as I said before, I mostly viewed cancer as something I needed to deal with to get on with my life. I was looking forward to graduating from law school, which I did a mere 8 weeks after I normally would have. I was (sort of) looking forward to the bar exam, which is nearly as bad as cancer. And I was looking forward to getting married, which I did on the one year anniversary of starting chemo.” (30-year-old Caucasian male) |
1.24 (0.44) | 23.5 |
| Discovery of meaning: evidenced by a major shift in values, priorities, or perspectives in response to adversity. “After I was in remission, everything was great. I took advantage of my new life and went back to school. I changed jobs for the better and got in shape. I was feeling good enjoying life. I even started dating a girl I really liked” (26-year-old Hispanic male) |
2.12 (0.86) | 70.6 |
| Unconstructive processing | ||
| Worry: negative repetitive thoughts about potential threat, catastrophe, uncertainty, or risk. “I was starting to think about marriage … I was stressing out a bit, but I realized I couldn't do anything. I accepted it; that was when I started thinking about my past. If it was me, my actions, my experiences that lead me to this place in time, with her. Where I would have to make big choices. What would happen if this, was would happen if that, so many questions, that inheritably cancer came back into my thoughts.” (25-year-old Hispanic male) |
1.82 (0.95) | 52.9 |
| Depressive rumination: thoughts marked by hopelessness, sadness, or worthlessness. “I've also stopped going to see my oncologist. It's been over a year since, it got too depressing. I've been working on trying to move on from this ordeal, but it is sometimes overwhelming. I guess it just takes time” (25-year-old Caucasian male) |
1.65 (1.06) | 35.3 |
| Anger rumination: repetitive or focused thoughts about angry or hostile experiences, revenge or retaliation fantasies, or dwellings on experienced/perceived injustice. “Shortly after, we all found out this ‘friend’ … never even had a single brain tumor. He played all of us and disappeared. So I didn't get the attention and support I deserved because somebody else decided to make up a life-threatening illness that he didn't really have.” (20-year-old Caucasian male) |
1.30 (0.77) | 17.7 |
| Self-evaluative reflection: statements reflecting an evaluation or assessment of one's value, performance, skills, ability, knowledge, or attributes, including self-critical and self-judgmental thoughts. “Even though I laugh about it, there are times when I am very self-conscious about it. Sometimes, I feel like less of a man and even though I have a prosthetic, I feel physically deformed, which is hard to deal with at times” (28-year-old Caucasian male) |
1.50 (0.80) | 41.2 |
SD, standard deviation.