Metacognitive Beliefs and Concern about Progression in Women with Cancer of the Reproductive System

The present work is devoted to studying the psychological characteristics of women with cancer of the reproductive system. The relevance and originality of this study are due to study of the phenomenon “worry about progression of the disease”, which is regarded as one of the most frequent sources of psychological distress in cancer patients. Expressed worry about progression of the disease is an indicator of psychosocial problems and acts as a target in the process of psychological support of patients with cancer. Carrying out of cluster analysis allowed to distinguish two levels of worry about the disease progression: women with a strong worry about the disease progression (n = 94) and patients with a low level worry about the disease progression (n = 106). In the selected subgroups metacognitive beliefs, levels of anxiety and depression were compared. It was established, that in patients with marked anxiety about the disease progression mechanisms of metacognitive regulation come to the fore, which leads to a focus on threatening information related to the disease, while in the group with a low level of concern about the disease progression the metacognitive beliefs are less pronounced. Comparison of anxiety and depression in the selected groups points to smaller adaptation to the disease in patients with marked anxiety about the disease progression. Thus, the concern about disease progression is an important indicator of adaptation to the disease in women with cancer of the reproductive system, which must be taken into account in the process of psychological support, in the implementation of tasks of the patients' resocialization.