{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T10:12:18Z","timestamp":1789035138492,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788998400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J. Clin. Med.","JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: A cancer diagnosis forces a rapid, often unwelcome reorganization of a patient\u2019s sense of self, routines, and future plans, and patients vary considerably in how far they progress toward accepting that new reality. Personality is a candidate explanation for this variability, and although the Five-Factor Model has been linked to cancer-related distress and coping in several large cohorts, its relationship to illness acceptance specifically, alongside disease duration, treatment self-assessment, and perceived social support, has not been jointly examined in a single, diagnostically broad oncology sample. Methods: We surveyed 114 outpatients with a confirmed malignant tumor diagnosis, combining a study-specific questionnaire with the NEO-Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS). Because several study variables were non-normally distributed and the study-specific measures were ordinal, associations were examined using Spearman\u2019s correlation, the Kruskal\u2013Wallis H test, and the Mann\u2013Whitney U test. Results: Illness acceptance was moderate on average (mean [M] = 26.55, standard deviation [SD] = 7.34); 22 patients (19.30%) were classified as having low acceptance, 76 (66.67%) as average acceptance, and 16 (14.04%) as high acceptance. All five personality domains correlated with acceptance, led by a strong negative association with neuroticism (\u03c1 = \u22120.632, p &lt; 0.001) and moderate positive associations with extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience (all p &lt; 0.001). Longer disease duration and a more favorable self-rated treatment outcome were both associated with higher acceptance, and patients who felt supported by close relatives scored higher than those who found support difficult to gauge. Conclusions: Personality traits, particularly neuroticism, were associated with illness acceptance. Brief psychosocial assessment may help identify patients reporting greater difficulties in psychological adjustment to cancer.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15187008","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T09:13:03Z","timestamp":1789031583000},"page":"7008","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Personality and Coming to Terms with Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study of Five-Factor Traits and Illness Acceptance in Oncology Outpatients"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Robert Jan","family":"\u0141uczyk","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Siedlce, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"resources","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"project-administration","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Dorota","family":"Weber","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, Lublin University of Technology, 20-209 Lublin, Poland"},{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, WSEI University in Lublin, Projektowa 4, 20-209 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Agata","family":"Wi\u015bnios","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine and Internal Nursing, Chair of Preventive Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Ul. Chod\u017aki 7, 20-093 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"\u0141uczyk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Long-Term Care Nursing Department, Chair of Preventive Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Ul. Chod\u017aki 7, 20-093 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"resources","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"visualization","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0965-5172","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kamil","family":"Sikora","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine and Internal Nursing, Chair of Preventive Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Ul. Chod\u017aki 7, 20-093 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"visualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9778-9391","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Charuta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Siedlce, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"funding-acquisition","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"229","article-title":"Global cancer statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries","volume":"74","author":"Bray","year":"2024","journal-title":"CA Cancer J. Clin."},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"545","article-title":"Personality, coping style, emotion and cancer: Towards an integrative model","volume":"6","author":"Temoshok","year":"1987","journal-title":"Cancer Surv."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"203","DOI":"10.1017\/S0033291700002026","article-title":"Development of a questionnaire measure of adjustment to cancer: The MAC scale","volume":"18","author":"Watson","year":"1988","journal-title":"Psychol. Med."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Costa, P.T., and McCrae, R.R. (1992). Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI): Professional Manual, Psychological Assessment Resources."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"417","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.ps.41.020190.002221","article-title":"Personality structure: Emergence of the Five-Factor Model","volume":"41","author":"Digman","year":"1990","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"719","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-psych-010213-115123","article-title":"Personality, well-being, and health","volume":"65","author":"Friedman","year":"2014","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"241","DOI":"10.1037\/a0015309","article-title":"Public health significance of neuroticism","volume":"64","author":"Lahey","year":"2009","journal-title":"Am. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"768","DOI":"10.1037\/a0020327","article-title":"Linking \u201cbig\u201d personality traits to anxiety, depressive, and substance use disorders: A meta-analysis","volume":"136","author":"Kotov","year":"2010","journal-title":"Psychol. Bull."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101","DOI":"10.1007\/s10862-005-5384-y","article-title":"The relationship between the five-factor model of personality and symptoms of clinical disorders: A meta-analysis","volume":"27","author":"Malouff","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. Psychopathol. Behav. Assess."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"887","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.130.6.887","article-title":"Conscientiousness and health-related behaviors: A meta-analysis of the leading behavioral contributors to mortality","volume":"130","author":"Bogg","year":"2004","journal-title":"Psychol. Bull."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"130","DOI":"10.1016\/j.paid.2017.05.039","article-title":"Association of personality profiles with depressive, anxiety, and cancer-related symptoms in patients undergoing chemotherapy","volume":"117","author":"Morgan","year":"2017","journal-title":"Pers. Individ. Dif."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1060","DOI":"10.1002\/pon.5377","article-title":"Association of personality profiles with coping and adjustment to cancer among patients undergoing chemotherapy","volume":"29","author":"Langford","year":"2020","journal-title":"Psychooncology"},{"key":"ref_13","first-page":"253","article-title":"Associations of personality profiles with stress and resilience characteristics among patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy","volume":"34","author":"Preston","year":"2026","journal-title":"Support. Care Cancer"},{"key":"ref_14","first-page":"7775","article-title":"Personality matters: Relationship between personality characteristics, spirituality, demoralization, and perceived quality of life in a sample of end-of-life cancer patients","volume":"29","author":"Ghiggia","year":"2021","journal-title":"Support. Care Cancer"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"271","DOI":"10.2174\/1745017902117010271","article-title":"Association between Type-D personality and affective (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress) symptoms and maladaptive coping in breast cancer patients: A longitudinal study","volume":"17","author":"Grassi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin. Pract. Epidemiol. Ment. Health"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wojciechowska, I., Matkowski, R., and Paw\u0142owski, T. (2022). Type D personality and Big Five personality traits and the risk of breast cancer: A case-control study. Front. Psychiatry, 13.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2022.723795"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"472","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1360-0443.2004.00687.x","article-title":"Smoking and the Five-Factor Model of personality","volume":"99","author":"Terracciano","year":"2004","journal-title":"Addiction"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jrp.2019.06.006","article-title":"Cigarette smoking and personality change across adulthood: Findings from five longitudinal samples","volume":"81","author":"Stephan","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Res. Pers."},{"key":"ref_19","first-page":"7","article-title":"The common sense representation of illness danger","volume":"Volume 2","author":"Rachman","year":"1980","journal-title":"Contributions to Medical Psychology"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"889","DOI":"10.1016\/0277-9536(84)90158-8","article-title":"Stress and coping in the explanation of psychological adjustment among chronically ill adults","volume":"18","author":"Felton","year":"1984","journal-title":"Soc. Sci. Med."},{"key":"ref_21","unstructured":"Zawadzki, B., Strelau, J., Szczepaniak, P., and \u015aliwi\u0144ska, M. (1998). Inwentarz Osobowo\u015bci NEO-FFI Costy i McCrae, Pracownia Test\u00f3w Psychologicznych Polskiego Towarzystwa Psychologicznego. Adaptacja Polska. Podr\u0119cznik."},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"Juczy\u0144ski, Z. (2001). Narz\u0119dzia Pomiaru w Promocji i Psychologii Zdrowia, Pracownia Test\u00f3w Psychologicznych Polskiego Towarzystwa Psychologicznego."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"269","DOI":"10.26444\/aaem\/144197","article-title":"Normalization of the AIS (Acceptance of Illness Scale) questionnaire and the possibility of its use among cancer patients","volume":"29","author":"Czerw","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ann. Agric. Environ. Med."},{"key":"ref_24","first-page":"37","article-title":"Czynniki warunkuj\u0105ce akceptacj\u0119 choroby u pacjent\u00f3w leczonych onkologicznie [Factors determining acceptance of illness in patients treated oncologically]","volume":"24","author":"Hombek","year":"2018","journal-title":"Med. Og. Nauk Zdr."},{"key":"ref_25","first-page":"32","article-title":"Przystosowanie do choroby niedokrwiennej serca\u2014Rola zasob\u00f3w osobistych [Adjustment to coronary heart disease\u2014The role of personal resources]","volume":"23","author":"Bajcar","year":"2014","journal-title":"Post\u0119py Psychiatr. Neurol."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"84","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jadohealth.2025.03.023","article-title":"Life\u2019s Essential 8 and Depression: A National Cross-Sectional Analysis in US Emerging Adults","volume":"77","author":"You","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Adolesc. Health"}],"container-title":["Journal of Clinical Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/15\/18\/7008\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T09:44:29Z","timestamp":1789033469000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/15\/18\/7008"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]]},"references-count":26,"journal-issue":{"issue":"18","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]}},"alternative-id":["jcm15187008"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jcm15187008","relation":{},"ISSN":["2077-0383"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2077-0383","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]]}}}