When the reality of death strikes: Ways of dealing with existential fears in cancer patients.

In the present study existential fears and concerns in cancer patients were explored with
respect to coping behavior and measures of subjective well-being. Thereby, cancer-related
existential fears were assessed by means of a newly developed six-item scale. The study sample
consisted of 126 patients undergoing ambulant treatment for different types of cancer. Data
were collected at the University of Luxembourg, in cooperation with several medical centers
and cancer foundations in Luxembourg, Germany and France. Results highlighted the
importance of existential fears in cancer patients. Cluster analyses resulted in a two clustersolution,
regrouping patients ‘‘high’’ and ‘‘low’’ levels of existential fears. Analyses of variance
indicated that the cluster displaying high levels of existential fears showed significantly higher
levels of ‘‘rumination’’ than the other cluster, associated with increased levels of ‘‘hopelessness’’
and lower ‘‘self-esteem’’. Results are discussed with respect to intervention programs
focusing on the regulation of anxiety in cancer patients.