Following tumor surgery, urinary incontinence challenges prostate cancer patients' functional health.
Adjustments of functional goals (lines of defense [LoDs]) were examined during rehabilitation from incontinence. A conceptual model proposing stepwise and distinct upward adjustments of LoDs, ranging from minimizing discomfort (lowest LoD) to protecting self-reliance (highest LoD), was investigated. Within 7 months following the onset of incontinence, 175 patients completed questionnaires at 4 occasions. A theory-based hierarchy was imposed on time-invariant latent classes of LoD-endorsements. As incontinence receded, patients transitioned upward through the hierarchy of LoD-classes, matched LoDs to concurrent incontinence levels, and thus promptly claimed independent functioning with physical improvements.
Written by:
Knoll N, Wiedemann AU, Schultze M, Schrader M, Heckhausen J. Are you the author?
Division of Health Psychology, Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin; Division of Methods and Evaluation, Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin; Department of Urology, Universitätsklinikum Ulm; Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California.
Reference: Psychol Aging. 2014 Dec;29(4):787-92.
doi: 10.1037/a0038311
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 25495908