Interpretation Bias in Breast Cancer Survivors Experiencing Fear of Cancer Recurrence
Introduction: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a prevalent and persistent challenge that many cancer survivors endure. While the role of interpretation bias, a tendency to perceive ambiguous situations as threatening, has been established in the onset and maintenance of FCR, few studies have exami...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.682174/full |
| _version_ | 1818856575232638976 |
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| author | Malwina Tuman Kailey E. Roberts Geoffrey Corner Courtney Beard Courtney Beard Carol Fadalla Taylor Coats Elizabeth Slivjak Elizabeth Schofield Wendy G. Lichtenthal |
| author_facet | Malwina Tuman Kailey E. Roberts Geoffrey Corner Courtney Beard Courtney Beard Carol Fadalla Taylor Coats Elizabeth Slivjak Elizabeth Schofield Wendy G. Lichtenthal |
| author_sort | Malwina Tuman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a prevalent and persistent challenge that many cancer survivors endure. While the role of interpretation bias, a tendency to perceive ambiguous situations as threatening, has been established in the onset and maintenance of FCR, few studies have examined cancer-related interpretation bias specifically. Grounded in the cognitive formulation of FCR, the current study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the relationship between cancer-related interpretation bias, FCR, and somatic symptoms, and examining whether bias mediates the relationship between somatic symptoms and FCR.Materials and Methods: This study used baseline data from a randomized controlled trial of a cognitive bias modification intervention. Breast cancer survivors (n = 110) provided demographic and medical background information as well as self-report measures of FCR and severity of somatic symptoms. A computer-based assessment of interpretation bias was used to measure cancer-related interpretation bias on several bias indices: percentage of cancer-related threat endorsement, and percentage of benign endorsement; mean reaction time (RT) for threat, and mean RT for benign endorsement.Results: Higher threat endorsement was linked to higher Overall Fear and emerged as a mediator of the relationship between overall somatic symptoms and Overall Fear. We also found that older age was related to longer benign endorsement RT.Conclusion: This study contributes understanding of factors related to cancer-related interpretation bias and provides evidence that bias may influence the relationship between somatic symptoms and FCR in cancer survivors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T08:26:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-94f5d7a3c8704eabb4230972398b9101 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T08:26:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-94f5d7a3c8704eabb4230972398b91012022-12-21T20:29:16ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-11-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.682174682174Interpretation Bias in Breast Cancer Survivors Experiencing Fear of Cancer RecurrenceMalwina Tuman0Kailey E. Roberts1Geoffrey Corner2Courtney Beard3Courtney Beard4Carol Fadalla5Taylor Coats6Elizabeth Slivjak7Elizabeth Schofield8Wendy G. Lichtenthal9Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United StatesFerkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United StatesMcLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United StatesHarvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boulder, CO, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United StatesIntroduction: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a prevalent and persistent challenge that many cancer survivors endure. While the role of interpretation bias, a tendency to perceive ambiguous situations as threatening, has been established in the onset and maintenance of FCR, few studies have examined cancer-related interpretation bias specifically. Grounded in the cognitive formulation of FCR, the current study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the relationship between cancer-related interpretation bias, FCR, and somatic symptoms, and examining whether bias mediates the relationship between somatic symptoms and FCR.Materials and Methods: This study used baseline data from a randomized controlled trial of a cognitive bias modification intervention. Breast cancer survivors (n = 110) provided demographic and medical background information as well as self-report measures of FCR and severity of somatic symptoms. A computer-based assessment of interpretation bias was used to measure cancer-related interpretation bias on several bias indices: percentage of cancer-related threat endorsement, and percentage of benign endorsement; mean reaction time (RT) for threat, and mean RT for benign endorsement.Results: Higher threat endorsement was linked to higher Overall Fear and emerged as a mediator of the relationship between overall somatic symptoms and Overall Fear. We also found that older age was related to longer benign endorsement RT.Conclusion: This study contributes understanding of factors related to cancer-related interpretation bias and provides evidence that bias may influence the relationship between somatic symptoms and FCR in cancer survivors.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.682174/fullfear of cancer recurrenceinterpretation biassomatic symptomsbreast cancer survivorsmediation |
| spellingShingle | Malwina Tuman Kailey E. Roberts Geoffrey Corner Courtney Beard Courtney Beard Carol Fadalla Taylor Coats Elizabeth Slivjak Elizabeth Schofield Wendy G. Lichtenthal Interpretation Bias in Breast Cancer Survivors Experiencing Fear of Cancer Recurrence Frontiers in Psychology fear of cancer recurrence interpretation bias somatic symptoms breast cancer survivors mediation |
| title | Interpretation Bias in Breast Cancer Survivors Experiencing Fear of Cancer Recurrence |
| title_full | Interpretation Bias in Breast Cancer Survivors Experiencing Fear of Cancer Recurrence |
| title_fullStr | Interpretation Bias in Breast Cancer Survivors Experiencing Fear of Cancer Recurrence |
| title_full_unstemmed | Interpretation Bias in Breast Cancer Survivors Experiencing Fear of Cancer Recurrence |
| title_short | Interpretation Bias in Breast Cancer Survivors Experiencing Fear of Cancer Recurrence |
| title_sort | interpretation bias in breast cancer survivors experiencing fear of cancer recurrence |
| topic | fear of cancer recurrence interpretation bias somatic symptoms breast cancer survivors mediation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.682174/full |
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