How do values and beliefs influence when facing an illness?

The beliefs and values from which we see the disease have a great influence on the development of the disease.

The values and beliefs form those styles of representation before the facts that people have and that form the base of the conduct of each one, as much in the daily facts, as in those transcendental ones. In addition, they bring together the basic elements of one's philosophy of life.

The internalized values and beliefs that a sick person, and even his or her family members, have internalized will have an important influence on the course of the disease, will influence in an important way in the course and even in the cure of an illness..

The importance of values and beliefs in the face of illnesses

Values and beliefs differ in their usefulness: beliefs offer a certain coherence between past and future events, while values offer guidelines for behavior in unfamiliar situations by providing a reference for psychosocial adaptive functioning.

When a person is ill, he uses the resources he has to understand his situation, relying on his beliefs and values..... For example, these beliefs would influence the acceptance of a pharmacological treatment in an immovable way for a person with faith in science. However, they would negatively influence the acceptance of pharmacological treatment in a person who is a naturalist or skeptical of traditional medicine.

The subjective feeling of family support is also an important part during the course of the disease, as it is the main core of social functioning.

Health Locus of Control

The sense of mastery that a person has over his or her illness is very significant and has to do with Rotter's locus of control.which Wallston et al. (1976) called the Health Locus of Control.

These researchers were based on the idea that an individual's potential to engage in a series of health behaviors increases if the subject believes that his or her actions can influence his or her health, and is related to the degree to which the individual values his or her health.

Health Locus of Control is not proposed as a personality trait, but as something specific to each health situation, and which changes depending on the situation (Wallston, M., et al., 1999). depending on the situation (Wallston, 1992). It can be internal or external:

• Internal Health Locus of Control is the belief that one's own health depends on or can be affected by personal behavior, by one's own actions or decisions.
• External Health Locus of Control involves the belief that health is influenced more by other people, fate, luck, or chance.

Understanding illness

There are several studies that provide evidence that the way in which illness is understood significantly influences the course of the disease. For example, in a study with patients with multiple sclerosis two negative and one positive factor were isolated in the way of experiencing the disease (Mohr et al., 1999). (Mohr et al.,1999):

• Demoralization (feelings of dependence, not wanting to disturb relatives, social isolation).
• Deterioration in relationships with others (problems with partners or relating to others).
• Encountering new benefits (more affection and support, meaning in life, loss of work stress).

The first two factors were directly related to anxiety, and the factor of deterioration in relationships was also related to hostility..

Pakenham (1999) also conducted a prospective study with this type of patients. He found a better prognosis in patients with less incapacitation (less dependence) and who attributed more importance to problem-solving strategies.

Concluding

In conclusion, many studies with patients with different diseases suggest that the way of understanding the disease, the consequences experienced and the psychological strategies of the patient when coping with his or her illness are variables that significantly condition a psychological state that allows them to live optimizing the suffering to the maximum..

Author: Susana Merino García, Psychologist Specialist in Clinical Psychology and Health, member of BarnaPsico.

Bibliographical references:

• Vicente Pelechano (2008) Enfermedades crónicas y Psicología. Madrid. Ed: Klinik.
• Wallston, K. A., & Wallston, B. 5. (1981). Health locus of control scales. In H. M. Lefcourt (Ed.), Research with the locus of control construct: Vol. 1. Assessment methods (pp. 189ó243). New York: Academic Press.