Goal Navigation, Approach-Oriented Coping, and Adjustment in Young Men with Testicular Cancer.
BACKGROUND
Cancer can challenge important life goals for young adult survivors. Poor goal navigation skills might disrupt self-regulation and interfere with coping efforts, particularly approach-oriented attempts. Two studies are presented that investigated relationships among goal navigation processes, approach-oriented coping, and adjustment (i.e., social, emotional, and functional well-being) in separate samples of young adults with testicular cancer.


METHODS
In study 1, in-depth interviews (N = 21) were analyzed using thematic analysis to understand experiences of goal pursuit following cancer. In study 2, 171 men completed measures of goal navigation, coping, and adjustment to cancer.


RESULTS
In study 1, three prominent themes emerged: goal clarification, goal engagement and disengagement, and responses to disrupted goals. Regression analyses in study 2 revealed that goal navigation skills were positively associated with emotional (B = .35, p < .001), social (B = .24, p < .01), and functional (B = .28, p < .001) well-being, as was approach-oriented coping (B = .22, p < .01; B = .32, p < .001; B = .26, p < .001, respectively). Goal navigation moderated associations between approach-oriented coping and well-being, such that those with low goal navigation ability and low approach-oriented coping reported lower well-being.


CONCLUSIONS
Goal navigation skills and approach-oriented coping have unique and interactive relationships with adjustment to testicular cancer. They likely represent important independent targets for intervention, and goal navigation skills might also buffer the negative consequences of low use of approach-oriented coping.
['Hoyt|Michael A|MA|', 'Gamarel|Kristi E|KE|', 'Saigal|Christopher S|CS|', 'Stanton|Annette L|AL|']
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological D000328:Adult D006040:Goals D006801:Humans D008297:Male D012042:Registries D013736:Testicular Neoplasms D055815:Young Adult
Goal navigation Coping Adjustment Testicular cancer Young adults Oncology