| The current study examined the effects of childhood cancer on adult long-term survivors and locus of control on three selected variables: social intimacy, marital satisfaction, and reproductive concerns. The study focused on 207 adult survivors' experience of childhood cancer in terms of their diagnosis and treatment. In addition, three dimensions of locus of control were evaluated: general, health-related, and cancer-specific locus of control. Participants completed self-report measures of the Internality, Powerful Others, and Chance Locus of Control Scale, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, Cancer Belief Scale, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Miller Social Intimacy Scale, and the Reproductive Concerns Scale. According to the statistical analyses, few of the findings in the current study were statistically significant. The results suggest that the more a survivor believes that he or she has personal control over his or her own life, then the higher the survivor's marital satisfaction will be. The findings also indicated that a lower sense of mastery over one's personal life and health-related issues, the greater the survivor will experience anxiety over reproductive-related issues. In addition, the results suggest that a lower sense of mastery over one's personal life and cancer-related issues, the greater the survivor will experience anxiety over reproductive-related issues. Implications for mental health professionals and suggestions for future research are discussed. |
