Psychosocial Determinants of Emotional Adjustment and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults with Primary Brain Tumours: A Systematic Review | Zenodo Skip to main Communities My dashboard Log in Sign up Published April 21, 2026 | Version v1 Journal article Open Psychosocial Determinants of Emotional Adjustment and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults with Primary Brain Tumours: A Systematic Review Authors/Creators Pavithra Sankara Subramanian Description Abstract Primary brain tumours pose significant challenges due to their direct impact on neurological functioning, cognition, and emotional processes, thereby affecting patients’ overall well-being and quality of life. This systematic review synthesises recent empirical evidence from 2020 to 2025 to examine the influence of psychosocial determinants coping strategies, emotion regulation, and perceived social support on emotional adjustment and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults with primary brain tumours. Guided by PRISMA principles, numerous peer-reviewed studies were analysed using a narrative synthesis approach. The findings indicate that psychological distress, particularly anxiety and depression, is highly prevalent and influenced by both neurobiological and psychosocial factors. Adaptive coping strategies, such as acceptance and cognitive reframing, were associated with improved emotional adjustment and higher HRQoL, whereas maladaptive coping strategies, including avoidance and rumination, were linked to poorer outcomes. Emotion regulation deficits, often resulting from tumour-related neurological disruption, were found to exacerbate psychological distress. In contrast, effective regulation strategies contributed to better emotional stability and resilience. Perceived social support emerged as a significant protective factor, enhancing coping capacity and mitigating distress, while also highlighting the importance of caregiver involvement in patient outcomes. Illness uncertainty was identified as a key mediating variable influencing psychological well-being. Despite consistent findings, methodological limitations such as cross-sectional designs, small sample sizes, and heterogeneity in measurement tools restrict causal interpretation. Overall, the review underscores the importance of integrating psychosocial care into neuro-oncology practice and highlights the need for longitudinal and intervention-based research to improve patient-centred outcomes. Keywords: psycho-oncology, brain tumours, emotional adjustment, quality of life, coping, social support, systematic review. Files MAROY 531 (NE).pdf Files (354.0 kB) Name Size Download all MAROY 531 (NE).pdf md5:a93a22ddf81b65926c705675413cc602 354.0 kB Preview Download Additional details Software Repository URL https://www.medicalandresearch.com/current-issues/Journal-of-MAR-Neurology,-Neuro-surgery-and-Psychology 36 Views 9 Downloads Show more details All versions This version Views Total views 36 36 Downloads Total downloads 9 9 Data volume Total data volume 3.5 MB 3.5 MB More info on how stats are collected.... Versions External resources Indexed in OpenAIRE Communities Details DOI DOI Badge DOI 10.5281/zenodo.19678538 Markdown [](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19678538) reStructuredText .. image:: https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19678538.svg :target: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19678538 HTML <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19678538"><img src="https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19678538.svg" alt="DOI"></a> Image URL https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19678538.svg Target URL https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19678538 Resource type Journal article Publisher Zenodo Published in Journal of MAR Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychology, 10, 2026. Rights License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International The Creative Commons Attribution license allows re-distribution and re-use of a licensed work on the condition that the creator is appropriately credited. Read more Citation Export Technical metadata Created April 21, 2026 Modified April 21, 2026 Jump up About About Policies Infrastructure Principles Projects Roadmap Contact Blog Blog Support Help FAQ Developers REST API OAI-PMH Contribute GitHub Donate Funded by Powered by CERN Data Centre & InvenioRDM Status Privacy policy Cookie policy Terms of Use This site uses cookies. Find out more on how we use cookies Accept all cookies Accept only essential cookies