Trait Anxiety as a Predictor of Psychological and Physiological Distress Over Time in Patients Recentlydiagnosed With Breast Cancer
Year: 2004
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Breast cancer has an unpredictable course, can be fatal, and many breast cancer treatments and prevention strategies are unpleasant and have aversive side effects. Anxiety is a normal reaction to a breast cancer diagnosis and may promote adaptive responses to new demands. However, anxiety can also have negative psychological and physiological consequences. Past research has suggested that trait anxiety may be an important determinant of psychological adjustment as well as physiological disease outcomes. The specific effects of trait anxiety on the course of psychological functioning during the initial period of adjustment to disease and on disease course following diagnosis are not well understood. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the course and influence of trait and acute anxiety in patients diagnosed with breast cancer. This study included 58 women with a new diagnosis of breast cancer. Anxiety measures, psychosocial distress measures, and salivary cortisol measurements were collected at diagnosis, and 3 and 6 months post-diagnosis. Overall, anxiety at diagnosis was related to poorer psychosocial outcomes during the first six months following a diagnosis of breast cancer. Specifically, trait anxiety was more predictive of long-term distress than was state anxiety.
Author: Tamara J. Somers
Language: English
Topic: Cancer survivorship and care
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2062733583