title: Self-blame attributions in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer: a prospective study of psychological adjustment.
abstract: Associations between self-blame and anxiety and depression symptoms in a sample of 76 women with breast cancer were investigated. At diagnosis, behavioral self-blame was associated with increased distress; at 3 months postdiagnosis, characterological self-blame was positively associated with affective symptoms and behavioral self-blame approached significance (p = .07); and at 6 months, behavioral self-blame was related to increased distress. Prospective analyses revealed that characterological self-blame at diagnosis approached significance in predicting distress at 3 months (p = .055) and was significant in predicting distress at 6 months and at 1 year after diagnosis. These data indicate that behavioral self-blame is a correlate of concurrent affective symptoms, whereas characterological self-blame predicts increased distress over time. Implications for social-cognitive processes in adaptation to breast cancer are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Vermont, Burlington 05405, USA.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Glinder
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Compas
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012649:Self Concept; D012917:Social Adjustment