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Belief in a Just World and Emotional Intelligence in Subjective Well-Being of Cancer Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2019

Jesús L. Megías Open the ORCID record for Jesús L. Megías [Opens in a new window] ,
Yolanda Romero ,
Begoña Ojeda ,
Inmaculada Peña-Jurado  and
Pilar Gutiérrez-Pastor
Jesús L. Megías*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Granada (Spain)
Yolanda Romero
Affiliation:
Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves (Spain)
Begoña Ojeda
Affiliation:
Universidad de Cádiz (Spain)
Inmaculada Peña-Jurado
Affiliation:
Universidad de Granada (Spain)
Pilar Gutiérrez-Pastor
Affiliation:
Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jesús L. Megías. Universidad de Granada. Centro de Investigación Mente, Cerebro y Comportamiento y Departamento de Psicología Experimental. Granada (Spain). E-mail: jlmegias@ugr.es
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Abstract

The study of coping strategies has provided valuable insights about the process of helping cancer patients adapt to their disease. However, new approaches must be explored to increase the knowledge of this adjustment. In this study, we will analyze the relationship between patients’ psychological well-being and quality of life and less well-studied constructs such as the belief in a just world (BJW) and emotional intelligence (EI). Sixty-eight cancer patients (35 men, 33 women; mean age 53.5 years; range: 20–86) were asked about their personal and general BJW, EI, Perception of Quality of Life, Anxiety, and Depression. Different multiple regression analyses showed that patients’ personal BJW negatively predicted their anxiety (p < .05) and a trend to a better quality of life. In addition, patients with high scores in the Mood Repair subfactor of EI showed better quality of life (p < .05), and those with higher Attention to Feelings exhibited more Anxiety (p < .01) and a trend to more Depression. These results underline the need to take into consideration new factors, such as BJW and EI, in clinical interventions for cancer patients.

Keywords

belief in a just worldemotional intelligencequality of lifewell-being
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 22 , 2019 , E28
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2019 

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Footnotes

How to cite this article:

Megías, J. L., Romero, Y., Ojeda, B., Peña-Jurado, I., & Gutiérrez-Pastor, P. (2019). Belief in a just world and emotional intelligence in subjective well-being of cancer patients. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 22. e28. Doi:10.1017/sjp.2019.28

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