Indicators of distress in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients
Background. The diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of cancer can present individuals with a multitude of stressors at various points in that trajectory. Psychosocial distress may appear early in the diagnostic process and have negative effects on compliance with treatment and subsequent...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2015-07-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/1107.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797419457964933120 |
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| author | Andrea Chirico Fabio Lucidi Luca Mallia Massimiliano D’Aiuto Thomas V. Merluzzi |
| author_facet | Andrea Chirico Fabio Lucidi Luca Mallia Massimiliano D’Aiuto Thomas V. Merluzzi |
| author_sort | Andrea Chirico |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. The diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of cancer can present individuals with a multitude of stressors at various points in that trajectory. Psychosocial distress may appear early in the diagnostic process and have negative effects on compliance with treatment and subsequent quality of life.Purpose. The aim of the study was to determine early-phase predictors of distress before any medical treatment.Method. Consistent with the goals of the study, 123 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients (20 to 74 years old) completed multiple indicators of knowledge about breast cancer management and treatment, attitudes toward cancer, social support, coping efficacy, and distress.Results. SEM analysis confirmed the hypothesized model. Age was negatively associated with the patient’s knowledge (β = − 0.22), which, in turn, was positively associated with both attitudes toward breast cancer (β = 0.39) and coping self-efficacy (β = 0.36). Self-efficacy was then directly related to psychological distress (β = − 0.68).Conclusions. These findings establish indicators of distress in patients early in the cancer trajectory. From a practical perspective, our results have implications for screening for distress and for the development of early interventions that may be followed by healthcare professionals to reduce psychological distress. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:47:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca62b37ce41e4f2b86bf363760bab218 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:47:36Z |
| publishDate | 2015-07-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca62b37ce41e4f2b86bf363760bab2182023-12-03T10:34:10ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592015-07-013e110710.7717/peerj.1107Indicators of distress in newly diagnosed breast cancer patientsAndrea Chirico0Fabio Lucidi1Luca Mallia2Massimiliano D’Aiuto3Thomas V. Merluzzi4Breast Cancer Department, National Cancer Institute Fondazione “G.Pascale,”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Psychology of Developmental and Socialisation Processes, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Psychology of Developmental and Socialisation Processes, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, ItalyBreast Cancer Department, National Cancer Institute Fondazione “G.Pascale,”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, USABackground. The diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of cancer can present individuals with a multitude of stressors at various points in that trajectory. Psychosocial distress may appear early in the diagnostic process and have negative effects on compliance with treatment and subsequent quality of life.Purpose. The aim of the study was to determine early-phase predictors of distress before any medical treatment.Method. Consistent with the goals of the study, 123 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients (20 to 74 years old) completed multiple indicators of knowledge about breast cancer management and treatment, attitudes toward cancer, social support, coping efficacy, and distress.Results. SEM analysis confirmed the hypothesized model. Age was negatively associated with the patient’s knowledge (β = − 0.22), which, in turn, was positively associated with both attitudes toward breast cancer (β = 0.39) and coping self-efficacy (β = 0.36). Self-efficacy was then directly related to psychological distress (β = − 0.68).Conclusions. These findings establish indicators of distress in patients early in the cancer trajectory. From a practical perspective, our results have implications for screening for distress and for the development of early interventions that may be followed by healthcare professionals to reduce psychological distress.https://peerj.com/articles/1107.pdfDistressBreast cancerNewly diagnosedPreventionPsychologyKnowledge |
| spellingShingle | Andrea Chirico Fabio Lucidi Luca Mallia Massimiliano D’Aiuto Thomas V. Merluzzi Indicators of distress in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients PeerJ Distress Breast cancer Newly diagnosed Prevention Psychology Knowledge |
| title | Indicators of distress in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients |
| title_full | Indicators of distress in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients |
| title_fullStr | Indicators of distress in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Indicators of distress in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients |
| title_short | Indicators of distress in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients |
| title_sort | indicators of distress in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients |
| topic | Distress Breast cancer Newly diagnosed Prevention Psychology Knowledge |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/1107.pdf |
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