The Effects of Coping Strategies on Distress and Quality of Life among Jewish and Arab Mothers with a child diagnosed with cancer

Purpose: The study aim was to assess ethnicity-related differences in perceived threat and coping strategies used by Jewish and Arab mothers of pediatric cancer patients, and the effects of these strategies on the mothers' distress and quality of life. Method: The sample consisted of 100 Arab and 97 Jewish mothers whose child was diagnosed with cancer and was being treated in an oncology unit. They completed questionnaires assessing demographic and illness variables; threat, task-oriented, emotion-oriented and avoidance-oriented coping; psychological distress; and quality of life. Results: Arab mothers exhibited higher levels for all three coping strategies compared to Jewish mothers, but the highest difference was found for emotion-oriented coping. Task-oriented coping was related to lower distress levels and higher quality of life, whereas threat, emotion-oriented coping, and avoidance-oriented coping were related to higher distress and lower quality of life levels. Ethnicity moderated some of the effects of task-oriented and emotion-oriented coping on distress or quality of life. Conclusions: Ethnicity and coping strategy type are important in understanding the distress patterns and quality of life of mothers with a child diagnosed with cancer.