Factors associated with depressive symptoms in young long-term breast cancer survivors

Andrea A. Cohee*, Timothy Stump, Rebecca N. Adams, Shelley A. Johns, Diane Von Ah, Kathleen Zoppi, Betsy Fife, Patrick O. Monahan, David Cella, Victoria L. Champion

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: Long-term breast cancer survivors frequently report distress (i.e., depressive symptoms) that impacts their quality of life. Previous studies have found that negative social interactions (“social constraints”) from partners contribute to long-term, unresolved cycling of intrusive thoughts and cognitive avoidance, resulting in psychological distress. However, these relationships have not been tested in long-term breast cancer survivors. Furthermore, the effect of partners’ depressive symptoms on the survivors’ depressive symptoms has not been tested within the context of these relationships. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test relationships between breast cancer survivors’ depressive symptoms and (1) social constraints, cognitive avoidance, and intrusive thoughts, and (2) partners’ depressive symptoms. Methods: Data were from a cross-sectional descriptive study of breast cancer survivors (N = 222) 3–8 years post-diagnosis and their partners, who completed surveys assessing demographic characteristics, social constraints, intrusive thoughts, cognitive avoidance, and depressive symptoms. Structural equation modeling confirmatory path analyses were conducted to determine significant relationships between survivors’ depressive symptoms and all other variables. Results: Our model fits the data well. Breast cancer survivors’ depressive symptoms were predicted by social constraints and intrusive thoughts. The relationship between survivors’ depressive symptoms and partners’ depressive symptoms was close but not significant. Conclusions: As hypothesized, depressive symptoms were predicted by social constraints and intrusive thoughts. Further research is needed to understand the possible relationship between survivors’ long-term depressive symptoms and cognitive avoidance and partners’ depressive symptoms. Our findings highlight the negative impact of social constraints from partners on psychological outcomes in long-term breast cancer survivors.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1991-1997
Number of pages7
JournalQuality of Life Research
Volume25
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1 2016

Funding

This study was coordinated by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (Robert L. Comis, MD and Mitchell D. Schnall, MD, Ph.D., Group Co-Chairs) and supported in part by Public Health Service Grants CA189828, CA180795, CA37403, CA35199, CA17145, and CA49883, and from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services. Its content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number F31NR013822 and by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers K05CA175048 and R25CA117865. Its content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, including the National Cancer Institute or the National Institute of Nursing Research.

Keywords

  • Breast cancer survivors
  • Depressive symptoms
  • Social cognitive processing
  • Social constraints

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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