The purpose of this study was to identify the patterns of activities of daily living (ADL) functional status and to examine the relationships between sense of coherence (SOC), depression, and uncertainty in gynecologic cancer patients who were receiving chemotherapy.

A prospective, longitudinal design with repeated measures was utilized. Women reported depression, SOC, and uncertainty at the beginning of the first cycle of chemotherapy, and they recorded ADL functional status everyday for two consecutive treatment cycles. the The instruments used were the Karnofsky Performance Status Index, Orientation to Life Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, and Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale-Adult Form.

Data from 42 women showed that the ADL functional status during the second cycle was better than that of the first cycle with significant improvement each week. However, it did not completely recover to the baseline level even three weeks after the treatment ended in both cycles. SOC was correlated with depression (r=-.64, p< .001) and uncertainty (r=-.62, p< .001). Uncertainty was related to depression (r=.66, p< .001) and to functional status during the second cycle (r=-.45, p< .05), while the scores of the functional status during the two cycles were not related.

Changing patterns and level of functional status during the treatment phase would be useful information for cancer patients to prepare coping strategies for positive health outcomes.